Beautiful Memories
by SpiffyPixie1
Summary: A girl with amnesia wakes up alone and in the dark without her hearing aid. She draws danger like crazy, but she is saved by the brothers. The girl finds that she knows who they are and remembers that she needs their help. She knows their names and everything about them, but why? Why them and nothing else? Set in the 2014 universe, first-person POV. (Temporarily suspended.)
1. Chapter 1

-Before we get started, I've been working on this for a while. I should be working on The Story of Mayu, but I hit a block and I feel irritation whenever I want to work on it. I've gotten a job, like a few months ago, and I'm still getting used to it. I'll work on my stories occasionally while I'm at work. I don't slack off, but I do have a lull at times when I'm working, so there's time for me to write (I work graveyards). Now, this story is one I've been trying to write since I was a teenager; that was when I still had some sort of weird crush on Raphael. I still love TMNT, even the newer version of them. This story will take place in that time, but after the first movie, like a few months or so. At the time I'm writing this, it's almost 2016, so I imagine, or really hope, that the next movie will come out soon. Still, I imagine that my story will go way off base form the plot of the second movie. I'll live. I've been tinkering around with this kind of plot for a while. Can't yet decide if it's stupid, but I like it. So, please enjoy and have a good day.- SpiffyPixie1

Chapter 1

"I miss the world as it was before. There were trees and plants for miles around, anywhere you would look. People were kind and _good_ ; there had to have been a time before wars, before people were the cause of one another's death. Now there's just crime and pollution, death everywhere you turn, and hardly any peace in nature, because people have destroyed it all. I miss the way the world used to be, even if I was never there for it." –Liam Daniels

I was sweeping in my Uncle's church, helping to clean up while he was out buying groceries. I was thankful for the peace it brought; cleaning was simple work, but it was useful. I needed peace after the day I had. I honestly just wanted to finish cleaning, get my stack of homework done, and then rest. Maybe I could watch a movie before I went to bed . . .

Footsteps echoed behind me and I turned, smiling and thinking that my Uncle had come back from the store. Instead of my Uncle's smiling face, there was just darkness; an empty fucking void of blank space that made my skin crawl.

 _It can't be dark._ I stepped closer to the darkness and looked around at where the stained glass was supposed to be. There should've been a colorful mosaic of sunlight spilling through the panes of glass, like there'd been just a second ago. _It's four o' clock!_ The sun wasn't supposed to set for another two hours.

I stepped back from the wall of dark when the footsteps started up again, echoing out of the blackness. Dread filled my gut, thick and nauseating. _No, no, no. Please, don't._

A figure emerged and the darkness rolled back from it slowly, like a dark mist rolling back from an old pirate ship. It revealed . . . My mom.

Relief went through me instantly. "Mother! God, you don't know how much you scared me."

She said nothing, just gave me a blank stare that slowly change to an expression of distaste.

I gulped and kept my forced smile; she'd get annoyed if I appeared to be upset. "Are you okay? Is anything wrong?" Mom, of course, never visited me during weekdays unless there was something important she wanted to talk about. At first, she didn't answer me. I felt awkward in the silence, suffering my mom's unchanging stare. "Mother?"

She opened her mouth, and nothing that came out was understandable. It was a mish-mash of murmured whispering.

I blinked in shock and swiped up on my hearing aid, trying to increase the volume enough to hear my mom speak. No matter how high I made it go, I couldn't hear her. "I-I can't hear you."

Honestly, it didn't appear that she cared at all. About me not being able to hear her anyway. Still, as she was speaking, her expression changed; from distaste, disappointment, and then to panic.

A jolt went through my chest. What was wrong? What was wrong with her?

The darkness was spreading, overtaking my mother.

I ran for her and reached for her hand, fully intending to save her.

She ripped her hand away from me, the disgust returning to her countenance for only a moment.

I didn't let that stop me. I grabbed my mother's arm and her shoulder and pulled, biting my lip to hold back a cry that threatened to break free.

The darkness, the smoky, inky blackness, burned me.

Yet I didn't want to let go. This was my mom, the woman who gave me birth, who paid for my schooling, who paid for the private lessons for me that I didn't want to participate in but did anyway to please her. I loved her, and I wouldn't be alive without her.

So I hung on through the darkness spreading over my hands and arms, finally letting my tears fall from the pain. "Mother!" My voice was like a shriek in my own ears, fear feeding the volume.

It spread to my elbows.

"Mother, no!"

It spread up my biceps and toward my shoulders. My grip was slipping.

The tears were thick and hot, blinding me. "Mother! Hold on!"

She finally slipped out of my hands and I fell back on the floor, uncaring of the pain.

My mother was lost to the darkness that was spreading toward me.

I didn't immediately move away, still looking at the wall of inky blackness as though she would walk back out. "Mom?" I was whimpering, hoping desperately that my mother would reappear.

She didn't.

I scrambled away from the spreading darkness and ran past the pews, ran past my Uncle's podium that he gave sermons from, and ran to the back door, jiggling the knob violently. It wouldn't budge, no matter which way I turned it.

Something inside me snapped and I cried out in fear, slamming my body up against the door in some idiotic effort to bust it open. Finally I just slid to the floor, giving up completely. _I'm not getting out. I'm gonna die._ That was certain in my mind.

I sat with my back against the door, knees up and legs folded, and buried my head in my arms. It was pathetic, but I sat there and waited for the smoky wall of darkness and pain to reach me. I waited for the end.

After what seemed like a few minutes, I looked up. The end hadn't come. In fact, the darkness was moving _back_.

A new figure emerged, though it wasn't my mom. Oh no, this figure was tall, muscular, and had a shell-like hump on his back. This figure didn't scare me at all, though he was perfectly capable of hurting me. I knew that he never would.

His green eyes met mine and I felt a shiver go through me. He kneeled in front of me, all grace and power, and held out his hand. "Come on. Let's go home." His voice was as deep as ever, but immensely reassuring.

What was I supposed to say to that? "I-I am home."

The figure scoffed out a laugh. "No," he growled out quietly. "This isn't home. You belong with us."

And somehow I felt that I did. I placed my hand in his, not minding his thick, three-fingered grip or his green skin.

His hand tightened around mine, enveloping it, and he pulled me up. There was a wide smile on his face, brightening his normally gruff features.

It made me happy.

He and I walked into the darkness together, hand in hand, and I didn't feel so afraid anymore; I wasn't alone.

I opened my eyes to darkness and felt like I was choking.

I sat up and gasped, looking around wildly. I hated the dark; _hated_ it, and I've never understood why. I couldn't remember what would've possibly screwed with my head so much that the darkness scared me so terribly.

Then again, I couldn't remember anything. . . Where the fuck was I?

I opened my mouth and uttered a single word. "Hello?" The vibration was there in my throat to let me know that I was talking, but I couldn't hear it. A shaky sigh escaped me. _My hearing aid._ It was gone.

I focused on feeling around the floor where I'd woken up, pushing back my fear of the dark with determination.

It was a terrifying thing, to be both completely deaf and then also somewhere pitch black; both sight and sound were robbed, and so it felt like _anything_ could be right beside me, watching me, waiting for its chance to pounce and-.

My fingers brushed leather and I suppressed a yelp. I knew what this was; it was my messenger bag, the one my Uncle had bought me.

As I slung the bag around my shoulders and continued searching around where I'd lain, I wondered, _Why can I remember that? How did that come so easily? Why has nothing else?_ In all honesty, I couldn't even remember my name.

I turned slowly once more, feeling across the splintered wood floor, and my fingertips finally met a combination of cold plastic and then a warm gel.

Triumph blossomed in my chest, warm and bright, and was successful in momentarily pushing back my fear of the dark.

My cold fingers fumbled with the little device for only a second and then I swiped up twice to increase the volume of my hearing aid.

The warmth of my triumph was doused by the sound of unfamiliar voices. Two men, walking around and whispering.

I stepped back slowly, hoping desperately that I was quiet enough, and swiped up a few more times to increase the volume once more.

"Why are we here, Lenny?" It sounded like an older man; deep voice but he spoke with a whine.

Lenny, I assumed, shushed his whining companion. His voice wasn't as deep as the first man's, but it was still hard, commanding. "Shut up, Marco," he growled out with no shortage of annoyance. "You saw that light. I want to know what it was before the cops get here."

'Marco' only continued to whine, which I knew would get on my nerves as well. "What if it's nothing? What if it's a terrorist?"

I continued to feel my way along the floor and the wall, looking for a way out. _He went from_ nothing _to_ terrorist _?_ I shook my head. It didn't matter; _they_ didn't matter. I just needed to find my way out and then find . . . Who?

Hell if I knew. Hopefully I'd figure it out soon. Not knowing who the hell I was and what I was supposed to do kind of scared me a little.

What the men said next, however, scared me more.

"Come on," Marco pleaded. "Antony's gonna get mad if we don't bring the girls back soon. It's been long enough that the drugs are gonna wear off if we don't hurry up."

Drugs. Girls. Those things never mixed well in my head, and I didn't have to remember who I was to know that I was a girl; I could _feel_ that.

"Shut up," Lenny hissed. "Don't say his name, don't fucking say what we're doing. What if somebody hears you!?"

"But this apartment's abandoned! No one's here."

Oh ho ho, but I was. And I was fucking terrified. I backed up, still looking for a way out. My hands brushed the wood of a staircase banister. _Yes!_ But what if this was like the movies? I'd go up the stairs, quietly if possible, but one of the steps would squeak, just _one_ of them, and those men would hear and come running.

It was possible, but what was I supposed to do? If I was careful enough, maybe I wouldn't make a noise.

I put my foot on the first step and pressed down gently, putting weight on it . . . No noise. Relief swept through me. Now for the next step . . . Again, silence. The men sounded quieter, mumbling about doing horrifying things. A shiver ran down my spine, and not a good one.

 _Now for the third step._ I put my foot gently on it and pressed down, hoping that once I was at the top of the stairs I could find a window to crawl out of and escape.

The step creaked loudly as I put my full weight on it and I bolted almost immediately.

"What was that!?"

The men were running toward the sound now and I could finally see light, but it wasn't comforting. What would they do if they found me?

I didn't wanna know.

I found a door and swung inside, locking it an instant before someone started hammering against the wood.

"Hey! Open up!"

"What the fuck did you hear!?"

No clue what possessed me to yell at them, but anger was flaring in my gut. "You're fucking sick bastards! What the hell is wrong with you!?" If that didn't give them the idea that I'd been listening in on them, then nothing would.

There was no time for me to regret it, however. I turned to face the window and saw that it was boarded up from my side. _Shit, shit, shit!_ Still, if I could just get _one_ board off of there, there was a possibility of me being able to squeeze through.

I started trying to rip one of the boards off the window almost immediately, terror driving my strength. _Come on, come on!_ The edge of the board I was yanking on felt like it was coming loose and I pulled harder, voicing my frustration with an angered shriek. _Almost there!_ One final pull, hard and violent, and I fell backward, hearing a loud crack.

My butt smarting from the impact with the floor, I looked up, hoping there was an opening. And there was, but only a partial one; one that I could never hope to squeeze through.

I had only succeeded at breaking a fourth of the board off. My heart sank with that realization. I ran back to the window and a second later heard the men break open the door behind me.

 _One last chance!_ I put my face to that broken board and screamed. "Help me! Someone! He-."

A large sweaty hand covered my mouth and I inwardly retched, disgusted. Lenny's voice was in my ear, hot breath making my skin crawl. "Ssh, ssh, ssh. Calm now, little girl. We don't wanna hurt you."

But I wanted to hurt them. I struck behind me with my elbow, eliciting a sharp groan of pain, but he didn't let me go. _What the FUCK!?_ Things like that worked in movies, but I guessed if the men were probably used to it, it wasn't likely to faze them that bad.

Lenny faced me toward someone whom I guessed was Marco. "She fucking elbowed me."

The shape of Marco shrugged. "Well she's scared; not as bad as what Tara did to you." He had the gall to chuckle.

My blood was boiling at his words. _Sick bastards. Psychotic, terrible fucking people._

Lenny growled in annoyance. "Would you just shine the fucking light on her? Is she worth taking?"

 _Taking? Oh god._ It reminded me of the movie Taken, except then I wondered why I remembered _that_ and not something _useful_. _Apparently I watched too many movies._

A bright light was shined on my face, blinding me, and I heard a low, appreciative whistle. "She's not too bad looking. Young, dark hair, blue eyes."

Lenny was silent for a moment, and then he sighed. "She'll make four. Come on, let's go."

The light was clicked off, but the spots remained in my eyes. I looked out of my peripheral and hoped I would see what was going on.

It seemed like Marco was taking something out of his pocket.

I stayed still, waiting for a chance to move.

He came closer to me and Lenny moved his arm ever so slightly.

 _Now._ I jerked my head away quickly and kicked up at Marco's arm. The only reason, the _only_ reason I was able to reach his hand was because I was 5' 10"; my long-ish legs saved me, if only for a moment.

Marco cried out in pain and Lenny jerked under my sudden weight when I let my body go limp. He dropped me and I rolled away heading immediately for the door.

A grip closed around my arm and I whirled around immediately, biting down on the hand with as much force as I could muster, anger roiling through me. I wanted to hurt this person who was trying to hurt me and I wanted them to be hurt enough to leave me alone. I was scared and I wanted to _live_.

A fist hit me on the side of the head and I saw spots of white as I fell, pain pulsing through my skull. The next moment something sharp pierced my neck and the feeling of cold spread slowly.

My struggling stopped and Lenny, I assumed, threw me to the ground.

Whatever they injected me with was strong enough that I barely even felt the pain. A kick hit my side and it felt like a dull throb.

Lenny growled and was rubbing at his hand. "Fucking hell! You stupid little bitch . . ."

"Lenny, we're supposed to use her; I dunno if Antony's gonna like you bruising the merchandise."

"Antony can do this shit then," Lenny said angrily, apparently forgetting his own rule of not saying his boss's name. "I'm tired of getting hit and kicked." Regardless, he sighed and picked me back up, not bothering to support my head that was lolling back wildly.

Still, there was an advantage to my vantage point. I could see the window, and _since_ I could see the window, I saw the shadow that blocked out the light for a split second, long enough for Lenny and Marco to notice.

They turned toward the window, which in turn swung me away to where I couldn't see what was going on. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know! A bird?"

"Well go check."

Marco sighed exasperatedly and I heard his footsteps travel over in the direction of the window.

A second later there was the sound of wood splintering and the men yelling in surprise.

Gunshots rang out and I was dropped once more.

I struggled to roll my head over and saw four figures larger than my two attempted captors go to work knocking the men out, disarming them of their guns.

It was silent. I couldn't even hear the footsteps that brought one of the figures by my side.

They kneeled down and felt my forehead, then checked my pulse. "Ma'am?" The voice was familiar; a little high, but definitely male.

 _I know who this is._ Didn't I?

"Ma'am?" The figure was snapping their fingers and brought out some sort of device with a green light. "Can you hear me? Are you awake?"

I opened my mouth and let out a raspy, "Yes."

The figure appeared to nod and the green light ran down my face and I assumed the rest of my body. They looked at the screen of the device and nodded again. "Okay. You appear to have a paralyzing narcotic in your system, more than 50 ccs. You're going to pass out as soon as it finishes spreading through your body, and then you're going to feel very sick when you wake up again. We're going to take you to the hospital, alright?"

"No." My voice sounded so weak, so pathetic. Whatever strength I had left let me move my hand to reach out and grab the figure's hand. I felt warm skin and three fingers that were much thicker than mine. Why wasn't that weird to me? I know that it should've been, but it wasn't strange . . . Just familiar.

I let out a rasping breath, struggling to keep my eyes open. "Please . . . Don't take me to the hospital. . . I'm not from here . . . I don't remember who I am." That was in no way useful information.

The figure gripped my hand, as though trying to be comforting. "Where do we take you then?"

Where indeed? I knew that I needed to find someone, but who ? . . . Somehow I remembered, the first memory that came to me when I actually _tried_ to remember something. It was important. I yanked weakly on the figure's hand and they leaned closer. I knew he wouldn't freak out as badly as his brothers might. "Listen, Donnie."

The hand tightened and froze in my grip. "What? How-?"

"Please." I was going to black out; I could feel it, feel my body numbing rapidly. "Please don't be scared . . . Search those men and then search for a vehicle outside. They might have three girls waiting out there, drugged and unconscious." My head was cloudy, but I wanted to make sure those other girls would be safe. I took a deep breath in an effort to stay awake. "After that, please take me to see Master Splinter." Why did I know that name? Why did I _know_ who Donnie was?

He had to be terrified, yet I couldn't wait for an answer; I could only trust that he would take a chance to trust me. He didn't answer me at first and I knew it was too late.

I could feel myself fading.

"Okay," a quiet voice murmured. "Don't worry."

Relief and a sense of safety. And then I was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

-So, here we are. Chapter 2. I feel like an awkward weirdo trying to make conversation. Sounds about right. Anybody have an idea of what this story will be? And I don't mean a genre, like romance or horror; more like _type_ , like, "Oh hey, this is happening." Terrible explanation. I can tell you that this _won't_ be the mating thing, where the brothers and Splinter all have those same animal instincts thing or whatever where they'll be in heat. No. If you're into that, that's fine, but this won't be that kind of story. It makes me uncomfortable. 'Cause I'm apparently a weirdo. There will still be romance, however. I am and will always be a sucker for romance. So, let's get to the story. Hope you enjoy reading, and have a good day.- SpiffyPixie1

Chapter 2

I woke up with a blinding headache and then someone holding a trashcan next to me.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I grabbed it immediately and threw up everything in my stomach, which admittedly wasn't much. Still, the forceful contracting of my stomach as it tried to expel the bile from my body _hurt_ fucking horribly. I'd gasp between each session of retching, tears blurring my vision.

A voice, familiar yet faint, was whispering to me what I assumed was something comforting, and a hand was rubbing my back.

Still, I couldn't really hear over my puking. I felt terrible for whoever had to sit there while I emptied my stomach.

The person didn't move, just stayed beside me as I gradually stopped retching into the trashcan.

I sat there, gasping and then breathing in deep breaths, thankful that I hadn't died. I was dramatic like that, always thinking that I was gonna die when I was throwing up. My body was shaking and I set down the puke-can, afraid of dropping it.

The familiar voice spoke again and I tiredly swiped up on my hearing aid reflexively. "I'm sorry," I sighed out sluggishly. "What'd you say?"

"I said, 'Are you feeling better?'" Yes, definitely familiar.

I looked up and wiped the tears from my eyes, wanting to know if this was who I thought it was.

The face of an old, mutant, humanoid rat stared back at me with a kind, if tired, smile.

More tears fell, rendering my earlier efforts useless. I dove forward and threw my arms around the familiar figure, chest hurting from a number of different emotions beating through it.

The old rat's arms went around my back gently and held me like I was his fragile daughter. "You are alright?"

I nodded, sobbing into his chest. "You're real." I was confused, but my subconscious knew what I was saying. "I can't believe you're real." I knew who this was, I'd seen many different versions of him since I was a child, but I _knew_ who this was and I felt happiness chiefly among everything else; disbelief, yes, but mainly happiness. "Master Splinter."

He nodded and held me closer, as though afraid I'd disappear. "Yes, child, I'm real."

I wasn't exactly sure I could handle this information. I just held on to Splinter, crying and blubbering like a child.

A new voice, no less familiar than Splinter's or Donnie's, entered the room.

"Sensei! Is she awake yet!?" The voice was young and excited, but still slightly deeper than Donatello's; only slightly.

I turned and saw the face of Michelangelo, his bright blue eyes and wide smile. Somehow I was across the room in an instant, holding the youngest brother of the turtles tightly. They were _real_. I couldn't get past that, and I was crying on Mikey's shoulder.

His hands rested on my back tentatively, as though unsure of what was going on.

Honestly, I couldn't blame him. I had no idea what was wrong with me, but I was filled with this overwhelming sense of awe. I pulled back, completely sure that I was making him uncomfortable. I wiped away my tears as best as I could and looked the young turtle-mutant in the eyes.

Yeah, he looked very uncomfortable. His eyes were wide and he was watching me like I was a bear that would eat him if he moved to quickly.

I smiled weakly. "I'm so sorry, Mikey. I was just excited to see you."

Was that supposed to make him feel better? Yes. Did it?  
Yes. He smiled back, if a little awkwardly for it being _Mikey_. Still, it was something, and it warmed my heart. "I, uh, thank you." He rubbed at the back of his neck, still very unsure. "It's nice to meet you, um . . . ?"

That was where I blanked. I didn't know my _name_. My own freaking name, no clue, but theirs? I knew their names immediately.

"Emily."

I looked up at the doorway in shock to see Donatello and Leonardo standing there, both very uncomfortable with the situation.

Donnie tried to hide it at least. Leo was obviously suspicious and watching me closely, as though he expected me to try something.

I wouldn't. I would never try to hurt any of them.

Donnie cleared his throat and smiled. "Your name is Emily Anderson."

The emotions were still building in my throat. I almost started crying again. I stood, shaky, and walked over to Donatello to hug him. I knew it wasn't often that a random stranger just _hugged_ them. Most people didn't even know about them! But I did. And I was torn between a strange sort of sadness and happiness that swirled around in my chest.

Donnie stiffened as I threw my arms around his neck. He had no idea what to do.

Of course I'd spoken with him earlier, but this was the first time I was actually _seeing_ him; green eyes, tall and admittedly slightly skinnier than his other brothers, with a shy geeky smile that made me want to cry because it was _so familiar_.

I pulled back, gave him a small smile, and then turned to Leonardo.

He eyed me curiously, as though wondering if I would hug him as well.

Would I? Would I hug this tall, muscular, blue-eyed teen mutant turtle that was obviously suspicious of me?

Hell yes I would. I jumped up, Leo of course being six-fee-tall and, and held him tightly, standing on my tiptoes.

There was this feeling in me, a feeling of having _missed_ all of them.

Splinter, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo . . .

I turned my head, having the sensation of being watched. I saw him. I saw those familiar bright green eyes, red do-rag, taller than anyone I'd ever met, and sai at his hips. "Raphael."

His eyes went wide, the most surprised expression I'd ever seen on his face before, and he stepped back when I took a step toward him.

Was he afraid of me? Possibly. The only humans they were used to interacting with was April, Vern, and then Sacks and his crew.

But then a sudden fear struck me and I remembered him . . .

 _Fighting in a hall-like place with a fan. Enemies coming at him, firing tranquilizer darts. Too many. Raphael rams the wall with all his strength, makes the tunnel collapse. The men are buried beneath the rubble. So is he._

Pain shot through my skull and I cried out, shutting my eyes tightly. I could feel my knees hit the floor and I could hear footsteps, and then Splinter's voice.

"Emily!"

 _What? I don't know._ Pain, pain, more pain pulsing through my head. _They're real. He's real. That was_ real _. He almost died._

Somehow, that hurt more than anything else so far. Raph almost died. That was _terrifying_.

I opened my eyes, squinting up at the light that was suddenly too bright, and saw Raph standing in front of me, a plethora of different emotions playing across his face. He almost seemed . . . Hurt. Hurt by my reaction. I was in so much pain, but I felt horrible for making him feel like that.

 _I'm sorry._ I hit the floor. Closed my eyes. _I'm so sorry._

*Raph's POV*

I stepped back, away from the girl who suddenly fainted when she'd barely _looked_ at me. What was I supposed to think about that? Was she afraid of me? Disgusted with me? I shook my head.

No, that couldn't have been it. She'd been smiling at the others, tears in her eyes, like she'd been happy to see them. But when she turned to _me_ . . . I'd thought that she seemed happy. Maybe it was the drugs those men had used on her earlier.

Or maybe she really was disgusted with me.

I stepped away from the girl as Sensei rushed over, not paying attention to the tender care that my father was showing someone whom I thought was a total stranger. I pictured the girl in my mind as I'd seen her only a moment ago; her short, dark brown hair that looked black until it shown in the light, her pale skin, tall, lithe stature, and her teary, ocean-blue eyes with golden rings that circled her pupils. . .

I couldn't deal with it; couldn't deal with being in the same room as her.

She was just too familiar, and that was something I couldn't handle.

I felt like I'd break.

*Emily's POV*

I opened my eyes for only a moment before I was assaulted by bright, white light. It was blinding. _Oh god._ It felt like I was in a hospital.

I turned my head away from the light and was met with the sight of the shell of a giant turtle-like person. A pack of gadgetry sat upon the shell and moved ever so slightly as the person moved. _Donnie._

The tall, technological genius was working on something, obviously, and I didn't want to disturb him.

With great effort, I pushed myself up and swung my legs off the table I'd been lying on. A blanket, purple and green, fell onto my lap. I fingered the material, appreciating the softness of it. _Donnie was taking care of me?_

Apparently so. I was seated on a tall table, like the ones they used in a doctor's office, and was surrounded by different kinds of medical equipment. There was a heart monitor, EKG machine, IV drips, and a number of other things that I'd forgotten the names of.

I tore the pad connecting me to the heart monitor away and winced when it started making that shrill, flat line noise.

Donatello whirled around, eyes wide with concern, but then saw that I was awake. There was instant relief in his features as he turned the machine off. "I was worried there for a second." His shy smile was back. "Are you feeling better?"

I liked Donnie. He was kind and a little goofy, but that was something great about him. He was so smart, but the level of his intelligence didn't mean that he wasn't strong; he was every bit the warrior as his brothers were.

I blinked, realizing that I hadn't answered him yet. I returned his smile and brushed my bangs away from my eyes. "Yeah, a little. I just feel drained."

Donnie nodded, checking a hand-held device that he was holding. "You're going to feel like that for just a little while longer. The drug those men had injected you with earlier was strong, and it's gonna take a bit for it to completely leave your system."

 _Of course._ But I would wait. I was here and I was happy. I kicked my legs, enjoying the feeling of my feet not being able to touch the floor for once. "Was Leo mad at you?"

The genius teen shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Probably a little bit. I hadn't immediately told him that you requested to see Sensei."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

He shook his head, small smile on his face even though he still wouldn't look me in the eye. "It doesn't matter. Leo's just not used to me keeping anything like that from him. That's more . . ." He seemed to search for the right words.

"That's more Raph's deal."

He finally looked at me again, smiling wryly. "Yeah."

We both laughed quietly for a moment, then we fell silent.

I didn't know what to say, if we're being perfectly honest here. I knew, I just _knew_ that I had wished for the brothers to be real my whole life, and now here they were, but I couldn't think of _anything_ to say.

Luckily, Donnie filled in the gaps for me. He cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses that were still broken at the bridge. "Sensei wanted us to ask your permission before we looked through your bag. We wanted to find out what happened to you, maybe an explanation for your amnesia. . ."

I smiled. "I'm gonna guess that you already looked through the bag regardless."

The bo-wielding turtle teen blushed instantly, confirming my suspicions.

I nodded and shrugged. "It's fine, I get it. Strange girl who knows your names, knows who you are, knows past events about you."

Donnie furrowed his brow. "Past events? What do you mean?"

Hell if I knew exactly what I meant. But I wanted to tell him the truth. I looked Donnie in the eye and began. "I know I have amnesia, but for some reason I can remember things about you and the others a lot easier than I remember things about myself. I couldn't even remember my own name earlier." I kicked my legs around in a circle and thought about what I wanted to say. "I can't remember why I needed to find you, but I know that I _did_ need to. Little, seemingly insignificant things keep coming back to me, but you guys? I know that you were one of the big things I needed to remember."

Donnie's fabled intelligence flared behind his eyes as he tried to work through the information I was giving him. "But why us? What was so important about us that you could remember us despite your amnesia?"

I shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it," I told him softly. "But I know you; you, your brothers, Master Splinter, even April. I knew that I needed to find you; my family's survival hinged on it."

My own words surprised me. I knew that Donatello's surprised gaze mirrored my own.

 _My family? Who?_ In my mind I could see an older man, possibly 40 or older, with short brown hair and blue eyes, and then a younger boy, maybe 12 or 13, with dark, dark brown hair and blue eyes with golden rings circling the pupils.

This was my family. What was wrong? What had happened? What-?

I winced as a sharp arrow of pain flashed behind my eyes.

Donnie was still watching me, observing and gathering information. "Emily," he said gently.

I bit my lip and nodded, meeting his gaze.

"If I can help you, I will." Then he sighed. "You were right; we did look through your bag, although that went against Sensei's request. We just wanted to make sure there was no chance of you being dangerous, no chance that you were maybe a spy."

I nodded again, understanding their feelings.

He continued. "What Leo and I found were normal enough things; a phone, laptop, chargers for both, a book, and headphones. We couldn't access the phone or the laptop, no matter how hard we tried." Donnie held up a hand at my gawking stare. "Yes, I know, I'm good with tech; I can hack pretty much anything. But both devices sent me a warning at my continued attempts."

"Attempts to circumvent the security system, if discontinued, will result with a total self-destruct; all memory will be erased and data will be lost." I recited this almost mechanically.

Donatello nodded, as though confirming something for himself. "Exactly. So without your passwords, we will be unable to access either." He was silent or a moment before he asked, "Your Uncle's name is Liam Daniels?"

"Yes." I answered automatically, as though the answer had been on the tip of my tongue even though I hadn't even remembered this a moment before.

Another nod and a searching gaze. "Where is he? Where's your brother?"

I opened my mouth to answer his questions, but I had to actually _think_ about it; as soon as I tried, I was assaulted with more mental pain. _Brother . . . The boy._ I gasped softly as the pain passed. "I-I don't know." I didn't even question how he knew about them.

Donnie sighed and nodded. "It's alright." He turned for a moment and I heard the sound of a faucet running. The teen turned back to me with a glass of water.

I took it with a soft, "Thank you," and drank the water slowly, despising the foul taste I had in my mouth. When the glass was a quarter of the way full, I stopped drinking and took a deep breath. "Every time I try to actually remember something, I keep getting this sort of weird pain shooting through my head."

Donatello didn't honestly seem surprised at this, at all. He still seemed reluctant to say what was on his mind, though.

I set aside the glass. "It's alright, Donnie. What do you think it is?"

He sighed heavily. "It's only a theory at this point, nothing definite. From what I've seen, there are things that you remember easily, like they're veiled but at the forefront of your mind. Other things, however, pain you greatly when you try to remember them. These things, I believe, are separated in your memory. The things you're automatically remembering, us, basic information about your uncle, the problems with your security system, seem to be a part of your reflexive memory; these were things that were important for you to remember, I'm guessing, or that were important to _you_ that you remembered." He took a breath before continuing. "The things that you have to actually _think_ about to remember seem blocked. That could either be from an accident, or it could have been purposeful."

That was actually terrifying. But it confused me. "What about . . . What about when I saw Raphael?" I could see that he had no idea what I was talking about, so I explained. "When I looked at Raph, everything was fine for a moment until I remembered him being buried beneath rubble when you were all being attacked."

Donnie was peering at me curiously again. "It's strange that you know about it at all," he told me quietly, "but what it sounds like to me is that _that_ memory was tied to a strong emotional response. For you to suddenly remember it might've been like re-experiencing it again."

I nodded, only partially understanding any of this. "Thank you, Donnie."

He seemed surprised. "Y-Your welcome, but why?"

"For taking the time to talk with me," I stated in a quiet voice. "I know that you guys probably aren't very comfortable with me being here." I thought about it then shrugged. "Well, except for Mikey, maybe, but then again, I probably freaked him out a little earlier."

Donatello actually laughed. "He was flustered. April's the only human female to hug any of us, but you're younger and you just kind of _ran_ at us."

I blushed and covered my face. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I just . . ." What could I say to explain how I felt without freaking any of them out? "I don't remember why, but for a long, long time, I didn't think any of you were real. I thought you were . . . Characters." I smiled at Donnie's puzzled face. "I don't really understand it either, but when I saw that you _were_ real, I was so happy." Deliriously happy. So happy that I thought for a moment, _I'm not crazy! I'm not, and they're real._

They were my heroes and I admired them; all of them.

Footsteps interrupted my thoughts and a moment later, Michelangelo ran through the doorway, wide smile back on his face. The youngest brother looked at us both. "Hey, Sensei wants to talk to us." He grinned at me. "You can sit out if you want, though. Lucky. He wants you to rest."

I nodded and slid off the table, wincing at the cold floor. "I'll sit out, but I'll try and see if any of my stuff triggers anything."

Donnie nodded and put a hand on my shoulder. "That's probably best. Do you know the way back to your room?"

I gave him a look, holding back a laugh. "Well, no. I fainted earlier."

Flustered once again, Donnie stammered an apology.

I chuckled. "It's okay, it's okay. If you guys need to go talk with Master Splinter, I can find my way back to my room."

The two youngest brothers exchanged a look and shrugged.

"If you think that'd be okay. . ."

"You shouldn't get lost. If you turn right out of the lab and follow the hall all the way to the end, you'll turn right again. Your room should be the one at the end."

I nodded and smiled. "Okay. Have fun, guys. I'll talk to you later."

They left me then, half-jogging down the hall to the left.

I turned the other way and walked, trying to ignore how cold the floor was. It was cold down here in the sewer; not freezing, but chilly enough that I guessed I was going to feel like I was shivering until that drug was out of my system.

I reached the end of the hall and turned right using the wall for a moment to lean against. I wasn't feeling well, but I knew it had to be a combination of nausea and exhaustion. Continuing on, I passed a few doors. A couple rooms were open, showing me bathrooms, but one was a bedroom.

I didn't go in, feeling that would be rude, but I did peek inside.

The room was messy, but the kind of messiness that came with being a teen; sometimes you just didn't care about putting things away. There were a few large pieces of clothing here and there, body-building magazines, and then weights and a punching bag in the corner that were the only things that appeared to be put away neatly.

I couldn't help but smile.

It had to be Raphael's room. It just seemed to fit his personality.

I looked at the walls and saw a rack of CDs and then posters for familiar bands, all that I recognized; I Prevail, Story of the Year, Linkin Park, and one above his haphazardly-made bed that made me grin. _Papa Roach. Man after my own heart._

Then I shook my head and leaned against the doorway. _I can't remember what I need to, but I remembered my taste in music. My priorities must be shit._

"Hey," a deep voice growled out, sounding very, _very_ irritated.

I turned, inwardly grimacing. Of course I recognized the voice.

Raph came toward me with a slight scowl on his lips.

I couldn't help how my eyes were drawn to the scar above his lip. Part of me wanted to trace it, to feel how his skin felt. I shook my head and stepped back, knowing that he was likely annoyed that I'd been nosing around his room.

I was right. He reached me and closed the door a little too loudly. "What do you think you were doing?"

Couldn't exactly lie, could I? I sighed. "I'm sorry, Raph," I told him softly, refusing to look at his eyes. I saw his fists tighten as I used his nickname. "I just saw this room open and looked inside; it was nosy of me and it won't happen again."

He clenched and unclenched his fists, and then he let out a breath. "Whatever," the sai-wielding teen mumbled. He pointed past me and I turned, following the direction. "Your room's down there."

I smiled and turned back to him. "Thank you, Raph. I really am sorry. Wasn't trying to invade your personal space." I looked into his eyes finally, wanting to see the beautiful green color that defied reason.

 _Another memory, this time of a rescue. He's trying to save his brothers, but then he sees the Shredder. They fight and Raphael ends up on the floor facedown. The mechanically enhanced foot of the Shredder presses down on Raph's shell. There's the sound of cracking and Raphael grunts in pain._

I was wincing in pain again, but at least I didn't faint this time. Still, as I looked back up at Raph, I saw that he was scowling. I felt my heart drop. He had to think that I was afraid of him. It would hurt his feelings, even if he'd never admit it to anyone or himself.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered weakly. "I just . . . I just remembered something. Donnie explained it to me." I was blushing, feeling like an ass.

This probably wasn't helping his thoughts on me being afraid. I wasn't, but he didn't know that.

Raph didn't want to hear my explanation. He turned.

I felt terrible. "R-Raph." _Stop stammering._ I cleared my throat as he stopped to listen. "Mikey said that Master Splinter wanted to talk with you guys."

A slight nod and he continued walking away for a moment before I heard a quiet, "Thanks."

It wasn't much, but a spark of hope flared in my chest.

The tall, temperamental teen left me alone and I fled to 'my' room, closing the door behind me.

Was that how it was always going to be when I looked at him? I didn't have any pain when I looked at the others, but the weird headaches happened already twice with Raphael. I hoped that wouldn't continue. It wouldn't boost his confidence, I was sure, to have someone look like they were in pain every time they looked at him.

 _Forget that now._ Not likely, but I pushed the thoughts of Raph to the side for the moment, focusing instead on the leather bag I saw sitting beside a bed that sat in the corner of the room.

I pulled my messenger bag to the table that sat in the other corner and sat down, pulling everything out. There was indeed a phone and laptop, as well as two chargers, which I promptly plugged in, leaving the book in the bag for now. I just had to see if they'd turn on, knowing already that Leo and Donnie had tried this.

Even so, my spirits still fell ever so slightly when I saw that they both needed passwords; the phone a numbered passcode and the computer . . .

I clicked on the hint and sat back, wanting to kick myself. It read, _This is ignorance. Failure to evolve is failure to us all. When will you learn that this is where we fall?_ Of course this was something stupid-ass shit that I made as my password; a song that I couldn't remember. I tried, I really did, but when I tried to remember the name of the song all I got was another headache.

At least it was a start. Maybe I could do some research. All I needed to do was find a computer, a _working_ one, and type in that song lyric. I stood and ran to the door, opening it to find a woman standing there.

We both shrieked for a moment, surprised that the other was there.

The woman had been poised to knock, but now she was holding her chest and sighing. She giggled nervously. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. My name is April O'Neil."

I took her hand to shake it, deciding that it wouldn't be wise to tell her that I had already known her name. I returned her smile. "My name's Emily Anderson. It's nice to meet you, too."

She nodded and held up a bag. "I stopped by as soon as I could. Splinter called to tell me that they had company and needed a change of clothes for you."

I stood aside to let her into my room.

She breezed inside, already opening up the bag. "They told me that you were tall, so I tried to find a little of everything that would be comfortable; pjs, pants, shirts. I got a dress, too." She held up said dress to me, appearing satisfied. "This shade of blue goes really well with your eyes. I didn't even know."

April was just full of energy, whirling about and laying the clothes out on the bed. "I got some underwear and bras for you too." She held up three brightly colored, yet cute, bras and a couple of packages of underwear.

I felt my face burning, but I thanked her regardless. "These are nice. How'd you know my size?"

The woman shrugged, still smiling. "I'm good at guessing. I figured that since Splinter said you were tall, but still petite, that these would be around your size. You like them?"

I nodded, still blushing heavily. "Yes. Thank you, April."

Another smile, eyes glinting. "No problem. Now," she said, seating herself on my bed between the piles of clothing. "What happened that you've got a bruise on your jaw?"

 _What?_ I'd already forgotten the events of the previous night. I felt along my jaw until I reached a tender area. "Wow. There's already a bruise?"

The woman nodded, smile gone. "The guys saved you, right?"

I nodded, still standing and holding the bras in one hand. "Yeah. I woke up somewhere dark and then heard these two men talking . . ." My eyes went wide. "Shit! The other girls! They said they had taken other girls!"

April looked surprised at my outburst. "Wait, what? Calm down."

My heart was beating painfully. How could I have forgotten!? I was too focused on myself. "The two men that tried to kidnap me last night said they had kidnapped three other girls; I would've made four. They stuck me with a needle full of some narcotic, Donnie said." I was shaking. "What if those girls are in trouble!?"

April sprung up and put her hands on my shoulders. "Calm down, Emily. I'm sure the guys found them and put in a call to the police for them to pick the girls and those men up." She kept her hands on my shoulders, as though to keep me from running off. "Everything's okay."

But it wasn't. There had to be more girls in trouble. "Those men weren't the only ones in on it, though. They kept talking about a boss, somebody named 'Antony'."

The reporter's hands tightened ever so slightly. "Antony? Antony Gutierrez?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. The men just said his name and said that he wouldn't like to be kept waiting, that he wouldn't like if they bruised the merchandise."

April scowled in disgust, but then focused her eyes on me once more. "There's a man named Antony that the police have been trying to peg down with human trafficking for months. Every time they get close to busting him he comes up with some seemingly iron-clad alibi that they can't disprove." Her eyes were shining. "I want to expose that sick asshole for the piece of shit that he is."

It was my turn to be surprised with April's language. Still, there was a plan forming . . . "What if you could?"

"What?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Look, you may not like this, but I won't be able to live with myself if there are innocent girls out there being sold for sex." I shivered, disgust and rage filling me. "I'm thinking that those men, Lenny and Marco, weren't the only ones kidnapping random girls; there has to be others."

April let me go, nodding. "Yes. That would only make sense; supply and demand can't be met with only a few people."

"Exactly." I took a deep breath. "If I could get kidnapped again, but this time have some sort of tracker on me, the guys can follow us to wherever Antony's running this operation."

The woman shook her head. "No, you'd be in danger. What if something went wrong?"

I shrugged, pursing my lips. "Something always goes wrong. This is a good chance to take him down, right?"

April didn't look happy, but she agreed. "You're right." She sighed. "But are you sure you want to do this? You could get hurt really badly."

I knew that. Still, I stood up straighter and tried to appear like I wasn't afraid. "I'll be fine." Then a thought occurred to me. I winced. "The others are never gonna go for this."

"No, probably not." April smiled slightly. "Still, no harm in trying, right?"


	3. Chapter 3

-No idea where this story is going at the moment, honestly. I'm literally just going with the moment, and the moment is taking me down the road of, "Let's give the reader something terrifying to contend with." So great. Still, thank you for reading so far, and please enjoy this chapter. Have a good day.- SpiffyPixie1

Chapter 3

*Emily's POV*

"Absolutely not!" Splinter actually seemed offended that I would suggest putting myself in danger.

I kept a straight face, not enjoying the scrutiny that I was under. "Master Splinter, your sons go out and save people every day. What is the harm in me helping them to do so?"

We were all gathered in what appeared to be a sort of meditation room, with tatami mats on the floor and little pillow-things to sit on. (I had no idea what they were called.)

I had changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a plain red t-shirt. Since this was my stupid idea, I was seated in front of Splinter receiving a combination of disbelieving, irritated, and sympathetic stares.

Splinter shook his head. "My sons are trained; they are _ninja_. They know how to take care of themselves."

He had a point, but so did I. "I'm weak and I look vulnerable. They'll want to take me." I bit my lip. "Please, Master Splinter, I _know_ there has to be other girls that they've kidnapped."

"Then my sons will find them." Splinter's tone held a note of finality to it and his gaze was hard.

I met it with all the courage that I could muster. "April said that this has been going on for months." I tried to speak without the shaky tone in my voice. "This is an enemy that is hard to find, even for their level of skill. I will go out on my own if I have to."

There was a stunned silence that permeated the room before Leo broke it.

"You will not!" He, of course, couldn't believe that anyone would talk back like that to Splinter. "Sensei wants you to be safe, and you want to just go run around hoping that you'll be kidnapped!?"

"I don't want to be hurt," I shouted, throwing my hands up. "But I want to help. If nothing else, I want to be useful for once in my life." Again, something meaningful that I couldn't fully appreciate or remember properly. "Think about it, Fearless Leader; I'm a weak pawn that can be used to draw out a stronger enemy so that _it_ can be taken down. It's all part of a strategy. Use it!"

"Excuse me!?" Raph, of course, was most likely the only one that ever called him 'Fearless Leader'.

"Leonardo, sit down." Splinter was calmer now, but he still had apprehension in his gaze. He spoke quietly. "Emily, you're asking a great deal. You are here because you needed to find us; you needed safety. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." I was surer than I had any right to be. I was terrified, but this was something I needed to do. "I have no problem putting myself in danger so that someone else may survive."

Was that pride in Splinter's gaze? Or grief? I couldn't tell. There was something about the old rat that made me think that he knew me, or knew of me.

For the life of me, though, I couldn't understand why.

He sighed heavily, rubbing at his head. "Alright. If you want to do this, we will support you. It will be dangerous, however, Emily."

I nodded, pushing down the fear in my chest. "I know, Master Splinter," I said softly. "I still need to do this."

I just hoped that I would survive.

*Raphael's POV*

I stood in Donnie's lab with the others, waiting and watching.

The girl was sitting on the exam table, looking like she was impatient to go.

Well, that made two of us. I'd watched that movie Taken. I knew what happened to the girls that got kidnapped and sold. It made me seethe with rage, and I wanted to go back, find the two guys we knocked out, and strangle them.

Donnie turned to the girl, Emily, I guess, and held up something to her. "This is a tracking beacon; it doubles as a recording device."

She took it in her hand and held it upon her palm.

It was small, looking like some sort of miniature BB.

Emily shook her head. "I'm going out on a limb here, but they might try searching the girls now if they find out that two of their guys were caught and knocked out. It's small, but we need something that is less likely to be noticed."

Donnie gave her an appreciative nod and turned back to his desk.

I hated it, but I had to admit that she was smart; not flighty or annoying.

Until she looked at me again and winced.

I scowled and looked away. What the fuck was wrong now? She had to be afraid of me. Or was I ugly? _What the hell does that have to do with it?_ I shook my head, refusing to look at her again. _She looks at the others without doing that. What the fuck is wrong with_ me _?_

"You doing okay," I heard Mikey whisper.

I glanced over, seeing my little brother seating himself next to the girl. I narrowed my eyes. Of course Mikey would be happy that she was here, right? A teenage girl that didn't scream when she saw us, that apparently acts like we're normal, and that's cute? I scowled deeper, forcing my thoughts away. That was _not_ the road I wanted to go down.

"I'm fine," Emily murmured, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

My brother nodded, trying to act nonchalant. "You can still back out if you want," he told her quietly. "Everyone's worried about you."

The girl laughed, but it was a strange, sad laugh. "They don't need to be. I said I wanted to help, and I'm going to. It's not fair for me to be safe if someone else is in danger."

"And when you finally are in danger," Leo asked, hawk-like stare focused on the two.

Emily met his gaze without flinching. "Then I deserve to be."

The words were out of her mouth before I think she even realized what she was saying. She blushed heavily, eyes showing regret, and she slid off of the exam table. "I'm gonna go use the restroom," she mumbled, already walking to the door. "Please excuse me."

We all watched her leave, and then Leo turned to me. "Go follow her. Just make sure she doesn't try to leave."

I wasn't in the mood to argue. I glared slightly, nodded, and slipped out of the lab, following the receding footsteps quietly.

Emily did lie to Leo in a way; she just went back to her room.

What did I care if she lied to Leo? I did it all the time. Not major lies, but still . . . I found myself walking toward her room and listening. She couldn't leave, because there wasn't a window down here, so there was no danger of that.

Why the hell did I care?

I heard the furious clacking of keys and then a quiet, "Shit!" I knocked twice before opening her door. She was sitting at the little table with a laptop in front of her.

Emily looked up at me once, not really meeting my eyes, before she looked down at her computer. "You like music, right?"

What the fuck kinda question was that to suddenly ask someone you couldn't look at without wincing? I narrowed my eyes at her. "Yeah."

"Do you recognize this? It looks like a song lyric." She motioned for me to join her and I found myself moving without thinking about it.

It _did_ look like something from a song. "This is ignorance. Failure to evolve is failure to us all. When will you learn that this is where we fall," I murmured. It sounded familiar, and I felt like it was on the tip of my tongue . . . I glanced over to find Emily looking at me, but when I turned my eyes to her, she looked away.

It was like she couldn't look me in the eye.

I stood up straight and backed away. "It sounds familiar," I told her quietly. "I just can't remember what it's from."

She laughed rather darkly and then frowned at the laptop. "You and me both," she said, shutting it.

We were silent until the words fell out of my mouth without me really thinking about what I wanted to say. "Why the hell do you keep looking away from me? Or every time you look me in the eye you look like you're in pain."

Even now she wouldn't meet my gaze, but she looked guilty. "I-I'm sorry." She was blushing. "It's just memories. Some of them are painful when I remember them."

I felt bad, but I forced it down and grit my teeth. Why the hell did I _care_?! "That gonna happen every time you look at me?"

Emily finally met my eyes with her own blue and gold ones. She still winced, but she didn't look away this time. "I really hope not."

For all my wanting for her to look me in the eyes, I couldn't keep her gaze. I looked away, scowling. "Come on," I growled out, already irritated and not knowing why.

Emily followed me without question until we reached my room. She hesitated at the doorway, blushing furiously.

I had to control the urge to roll my eyes. "What is it?"

She still hadn't crossed the doorway. "I-I don't often go into a boy's room."

How the hell did she know if she couldn't fucking remember? "But it didn't bother you that I was in your room?" All I got was a confused stare and I sighed. "Would you get in here? I'm gonna look through my music to see if I can find what song that line's from."

She stepped in tentatively, stepping around anything that was on the floor.

I actually felt embarrassed and I scowled, turning and busying myself with looking through my CDs. I _had_ recognized the lyric, but I couldn't remember who sang it. Was it Alternative? Maybe Linkin Park? No, it didn't sound like something they'd sing. Nor I Prevail; it was too dark for their style . . . Maybe-.

"I remember this album," Emily murmured fondly.

I turned and found her looking at an old CD from House of Pain.

I let out an involuntary chuckle. "You've gotta be kidding me."

She looked offended. "What? I used to love them."

Why could she remember that? "They have _one_ good song."

Emily grinned, and I could've sworn that my heart did a flip. "Then why do you have all three of their CDs?"

I wondered that myself.

A cough from the doorway made us turn around. It was Leo, watching us both with a raised brow. "Busy?"

Emily put the CD down gently and faced him with a small smile. "Raph was just trying to help me find a clue to my computer password. Did Donnie find anything?"

Leo nodded and motioned for us to follow him.

I couldn't help but feel a little smug. Most likely, our Fearless Leader did _not_ like the attitude that Emily had shown him earlier. She wasn't being rude, but she had been defiant.

I narrowed my eyes as Emily put a hesitant hand on Leo's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier," she apologized quietly. "I know I wanted to help, but I could've gone about it a different way."

Leo seemed surprised, as was I. He was at a loss for words for a moment, and then he shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have been so ready to shoot down your idea. I'm just not used to someone disagreeing so readily with Sensei."

"Like looking through my bag before I give the okay?"

I've never seen my older brother blush like that before, but I cackled inwardly. The look on his face was priceless as he tried to explain himself.

Emily smiled wryly. "It's okay, I get it. Suspicious girl suddenly appears, knows too much. Could be dangerous." She actually laughed, as if the thought of her being dangerous was ridiculous.

With how small she was, I could see the humor.

We arrived back at Donnie's lab and he seemed excited. "You have a hearing aid, right?"

 _So subtle, Don._

Emily nodded, reaching up toward her right ear. "Yeah. Thinking of putting something on it?"

"Attaching it, actually." He held up a flat piece of . . . _something_ that appeared to be the same color. "This should be able to connect to your hearing aid to act as a walkie-talkie of sorts. It'd be useful so we can talk to you and hear whatever is being said." He seemed proud. "I would just recommend not trying to talk into it; it would probably seem suspicious."

"Probably," the girl agreed, taking her hearing aid out briefly to attach the paper-thin device to it. You couldn't even tell there was anything there. She put her hearing aid back in and gave the Brainiac a thumbs up. "Alright. What next?"

The next moment she jumped, eyes wide.

We could hear Mikey laughing in the other room. "Sorry, babe! Couldn't resist." He walked in with a grin on his face. "Scare you?"

Emily sighed but smiled. "Immensely."

Leo thumped our younger brother on the head, earning a scowl.

Donnie ignored them, holding up the next device. "This one is a camera with face-recognition software." Yeah, definitely proud of himself. "It doubles as a tracking beacon."

Emily took this next piece of tech, looking at it curiously. "Where am I putting this one?"

"Uh, well it's meant to attach to your skin, so I'm thinking somewhere on your head."

She seemed to think about it and then asked, "Do you have a mirror?"

Mikey held up a hand-held mirror, but peered around to see what she was doing.

I could see it in the mirror. She lined the flesh-colored device above the bridge of her nose and pressed down, molding it to her skin. She appeared to shiver at the feeling of it. "Can you see it?"

We all looked at where she had put it, and even though we had seen her attach it, we couldn't even tell. "Nope."

"Good." She sighed then, appearing apprehensive. "Where's April?"

Leo raised a brow but answered anyway. "With Sensei. Why?"

Emily gave us all a smile, small and forced. "I'm terrible at applying makeup."

*Emily's POV*

Oh _God_ , I hated the feeling of foundation. I stayed perfectly still regardless, eyes closed, waiting for April to finish this first part.

"You have such nice skin," she mumbled as she brushed the cold powder around my jawline. "I don't want you to have acne later."

That was the least of my worries. First came the foundation to hide the bruise on my jaw, then a little blush, and then a blend of soft brown eyeshadow.

When April was done, she held up a mirror for me and I took it. I had the urge to throw the mirror after I looked at myself. _I look like . . . I look like who?_ Another thing that escaped me. Regardless, I smiled at April. "Good job."

She didn't return my smile. She looked worried. "Is there another way to do this? Some other way that won't put you in danger?"

I shook my head. "None that I can think of. So let's go."

"How're you wanting to do this?"

I turned to Leonardo and shrugged. "How do I want to go out after dark by myself to get knocked out, drugged, and taken away by a bunch of men who'll want to sell me to strangers for sex? No clue." I winced at my tone. "Sorry, sorry. That was rude." I rubbed at my forehead, struggling to not rub at the spot where the camera was residing. "Shadiest place possible would probably be best. It'll be good if I look like a lost tourist."

Raph's eyes were narrowed, but he didn't offer an opinion.

None of the brothers were comfortable with this. Honestly, I wasn't either. Anything could go wrong. I could get really hurt. Possibly even die.

I shuddered. "Subway," I said suddenly, surprising them. "Dark, creepy, and easy for newcomers to get lost there, right?"

They all exchanged a look that told me I was right.

I nodded and stood. "Okay, let's go."

Splinter stopped us before we could leave the dojo. His eyes widened when he saw me with the makeup, but he didn't comment on it. The old rat looked worried. "I will stay here and monitor the camera. The boys will follow you."

I nodded, fear making my heartbeats painful. "I'm sorry, Master Splinter," I said softly. "I did not mean to be rude to you earlier."

Instead of an, "It's okay," or, "Don't worry about it," I received a hug. "Come home safe," he told me, tone sad and concerned.

I wanted to cry as I returned the hug. "I'll try." My voice was shaking and I hated it. I hated how weak I was.

There was no turning back, however. I wouldn't forgive myself.

We left the sewer quietly. It was already midnight and dark as we exited through a manhole. Mikey and Donnie pulled me up, then April, and then Leo and Raph followed. We all piled into the familiar vehicle that Donnie had made.

It was cramped with April and I sitting in there. The boys tried so hard not to crowd us, but I didn't care. How could I feel self-conscious about being close to them? I didn't _care_ ; it didn't bother me at all. I didn't know how to tell them, though, so I kept quiet.

Donnie made a sharp turn and I fell forward, arms outstretched.

A large pair of hands caught me around the waist and pulled me back. I looked up and saw Raph's green eyes staring back at me. He kept his hands on my waist, as though he was acting as my seatbelt. "You're not supposed to get in trouble yet."

A dark joke? _Now_?

It cheered me a little, regardless of that being his intention or not. I stayed seated where I was, unwilling to move. I needed the temperamental teen's strength, his comforting presence. _Lord, I'm a fucking sap._ And I was. Did I care? Slightly. Not enough to move, however.

If Raph was surprised that I didn't move during the ride, he didn't show it. He just kept his hands on my waist, respectfully not going anywhere inappropriate.

I appreciated it.

We arrived at the subway quickly and I took a moment to compose myself.

 _I can do this._ Could I? Could I really? I was terrified. But I had to do this. I let out a breath. _I'm the one that suggested this in the first place._

I turned to the others and saw full concern on everyone's face just staring back at me. I smiled, showing a false confidence. "Don't worry. It'll be alright." _I'm a fucking liar._

Leo handed me . . . A phone? He saw my confusion and said, "It's a prop. I know that they'll probably take it from you, but the fingerprints could be useful." He wasn't comfortable with the situation, and neither was I. "Pretend that you're looking for directions or you've lost your signal. Something so that they're not suspicious. Most people walk around with a phone."

I nodded, slipped it in my pocket, and hugged him spontaneously, taking him by surprise. He returned the hug hesitantly before I pulled away.

I hugged them all one-by-one; Donnie, who seemed worried beyond belief, Mikey, who was seemed like he wanted to cry, April, who did actually have tears in her ears, and then finally I turned to Raph.

He did not smile at me. His arms were crossed as he leveled his narrowed gaze at me.

I didn't feel pain as I met his eyes. There was one thing for me to be relieved about.

"Not gonna faint on me again, are you?"

I smiled wryly, more for his benefit than mine. I knew that he was worried, regardless of the front he put on. "No. I think I'm good." I hugged him tightly and he stiffened. Was he uncomfortable? Surprised even though I had hugged literally everyone else?

His arms wrapped around me a moment later, though not too tight, as though he was worried he'd break me.

I pulled away, looked into his eyes once more, and turned away. I had to leave before I chickened out. I had to do this.

I left the dark alleyway and pulled the prop-phone out of my pocket, pretending to frown at it as though I had no idea where I was going. And in truth, I didn't. Maybe to my doom.

Going down into the subway, I already knew that I'd never been in one before. I'd _never_ been to New York, and certainly never been in a subway. It was eerie.

Part of me expected to see zombies pouring out of the tunnel and up the stairs at me.

Of course, it never happened. Still, I walked around, completely creeped out, and looked at the train schedule as though I was actually paying attention to it.

 _It's quiet down here. Is there really no one else using this part of the subway!? Maybe no one will show up._

 _"Emily."_

I had to stop myself from jumping. I continued took my phone out and pretended to click a couple of things. "What the hell do I do now," I muttered.

 _"Just act natural. You're fine. Act like you're gonna wait."_

I sighed and looked around, knowing that the guys and Splinter could see everything I was seeing. I was alone. _Act like a flighty idiot._ Not that hard, to be honest. I sat on a bench and waited, somehow _knowing_ that something would happen.

Yet it didn't. I sat there for a few minutes, occasionally looking at my phone as though I was checking the time.

When someone finally spoke, I really did jump.

It was a handsome man with warm brown eyes and an easy smile. "Did I miss the last train?"

Hand over my heart, I sighed and forced a laugh. "I'm so sorry," I apologized to him. "It was just me down here for so long, I didn't expect anyone else."

The man laughed and sat beside me on the bench, not too close. "I apologize, miss. I didn't mean to scare you."

 _He seems okay._ Almost fatherly. I couldn't imagine him doing anything sketchy. Still, I kept my eyes trained on him so the guys could maybe do a scan. Meanwhile, I needed to talk and not seem weird. "It's alright. I've been waiting here for only a few minutes." Held up my phone like I was frustrated with it. "Can't get any service on my phone for some reason." Act very open, very stupid. Smile.

I could hear Raph's voice in my ear muttering, _"Don't tell him that, you idiot."_ Then a, _"Shut up!"_ from Mikey. A moment later from Donnie, _"I don't think you need to worry about him. He's a police officer, named Jared Michaels."_

Thank God. I gave the officer a smile, of course not being able to tell him that I knew who he was. "Meeting someone?" That sounded too flirty. _Ugh._

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I just got off work. I was hoping that I'd be able to catch the train, but I can wait a little while longer." He pulled out a worn leather wallet, still smiling. "It's my daughter's birthday tomorrow. Do you wanna see her?"

I was at ease now. I nodded. "Sure."

The officer opened the wallet and showed me pictures of a little girl, about four or five, similar in appearance to the man. She was smiling, obviously a happy child. The last picture was of the girl on a swing, smiling and biting on her thumb.

I couldn't help myself; I cooed like I was looking at a puppy. "She's so cuuute. Your daughter's adorable."

Laughter in my ear and another whispered, _"Shut up!"_

I smiled at the man, earning a smile and a nod.

"Yeah, I love her. She's turning five tomorrow. I wanted to surprise her in the morning with a big stuffed bear and a puppy." He grimaced playfully. "Although she's a bit young for the puppy, but my wife insisted."

I nodded, as if I knew how that went. "Of course, of course. I'm sure your daughter will love it, though."

"What about you," he asked me.

I shrugged, prepared to make up a story. "Well I saved up a bit of money so that I could come up here. I've always wanted to see New York." Sure, establish that you've never been here. Make yourself seem more vulnerable.

Although, with the _cop_ here? It didn't seem like that big of a deal.

He laughed, shaking his head. "You? You don't seem old enough to travel alone."

"No, I know. Everyone says that. My dad's okay with me traveling as long as I keep up with my schoolwork and my mom . . ." The mention of my mom, even making up a fake story, make my throat catch. "My mom doesn't care much what I do."

Jared the cop nodded a little sadly. "I'm sorry. I know how bad home life can be."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I like it here so far. Kinda hope I can move here one day."

"Did you tell your dad you were coming here, or did you sneak away?" His eyes were knowing, like he traveled a lot in his youth to places without telling his parents.

I smiled sheepishly. Might as well go along with the lie, right? "Well, I told dad that I was going to New York, but he didn't want me to come to New York City." I laughed. "He said that it was dangerous here, but it's been great. I just get lost a lot." Another laugh, and he joined me.

Maybe I could leave soon. It didn't seem like the kidnappers were here, especially not with a cop here.

 _"Who's he nodding at?"_

What?

My head was turned toward the man but I hadn't been paying attention. I screamed against the hand that suddenly closed around my mouth. I couldn't help it; I bit down on the palm, suddenly terrified again.

The person let me go and I ran. I had to make it believable, right? Like I didn't want to be caught too willingly. But suddenly I didn't want to be caught. I was really scared. I knew what these men wanted to do to me. And what if these were the wrong people, different from the ones we had been looking for? What if they just wanted to rape me?

I could hear the brothers' voices in my ear, arguing amongst themselves.

 _"Raph, stop! This is part of the plan!"_

 _"She's fucking scared! You wanna sit back!?"_

 _"No, I don't!"_

 _"Mikey, help me!"_

They were scared for me. I could hear April crying.

A hand grabbed my arm and I swung wildly, tears streaming down my face.

The cop caught my other arm and kicked my legs out from under me.

I hit the ground heavily.

There was the familiar sting in my neck and the same feeling of something cold that slowly spread and numbed my body.

 _"I'm so sorry, Emily,"_ Donnie said softly. _"We'll keep an eye on you."_

I couldn't tell them that I was okay, that everything would work out. There was always the possibility that it wouldn't.

One of the men lifted my body, taking more care than Lenny and Marco had. They muttered to each other but I wasn't paying attention anymore.

I was practically gone. They had to be using a stronger dose of drug than before.

There was a snarled, _"Bastards,"_ in my ear.

 _I'd have to agree with you there, Raph._ I had no idea why that was so funny to me. _I'd have to completely agree._


	4. Chapter 4

-So, dark-themed stuff. Maybe. I'm not sure. Obviously I've never been in a situation like this, nor do I know about a lot of technology, so I'm making a lot of stuff up. If this offends anyone at all, I do apologize. This is a fear of mine; it's a scary situation. It's a story that I've been trying to work with for a while. I'm trying a thing where it'll switch between Emily and Raph's point-of-view. Mainly I want it in Emily's, but if the mood strikes me I'll change to Raph's. Because I can. The story will return to the whole thing about Emily's amnesia soon, I assure you. As soon as this whole fiasco is finished. So, hope you enjoy this chapter. Please have a good day.- SpiffyPixie1

Chapter 4

*Raph's POV*

I couldn't stand this. I couldn't stand just fucking sitting on my ass, watching and waiting as Emily was carried around. You could tell that she was unconscious before they even left the subway.

The cop and the other man, who Donnie identified as some dick-head named Timothy Reynolds, loaded her into a car.

It would've been like watching a boring movie if not for the fact that we _knew_ who was unconscious.

I could still feel her arms around me, hugging me tightly. I hadn't expected it. She hadn't flinched when she looked at me either. The strange flare of happiness I'd felt was gone now.

Emily was in danger and that ate at me with an intensity that was surprising. She was still basically a stranger, but . . . She was still an innocent person. She was a flurry of strange emotions that intrigued me and infuriated me with both her happiness and her odd depression, like she _deserved_ to be placed in danger, but her smile was so hypnotizing and sweet, and it made my stomach do a weird flip-.

They were moving her again and we watched the screen intently, occasionally glancing at the other screen to see where they were. Somewhere downtown, heading toward the docks.

Why did bad guys love going there?

 _"Another one?" Some guy with a large nose and a scar on his cheek seemingly turned her head from side to side. He nodded. "Not bad. How old is she?"_

 _"Didn't say," the cop said. "She said she was still in school, though. Didn't tell her dad she was coming to New York."_

 _Another nod and a grin. "Good. Should be easy for her disappearance then." He took hold of her. "I'll take her to the boss. Get going. We lost the three that those idiots let get away yesterday." The man, a Frederick Rue, tossed Emily into another car, uncaring that her head was swinging around wildly._

It just turned into another car ride.

I couldn't stand it. I was about to yell at Donnie to follow the guy's car when Leo said, "Follow him. If he's taking her straight to their boss, we need to be ready."

Donnie nodded and floored the car, completely at ease with the sudden speed.

Mikey was at the back trying to comfort April. She was still crying, though quietly. "It'll be okay. We'll get these guys and bust them. Don't worry."

She shook her head, covering her eyes. "She was terrified. That's a terrible fear for women; to be taken against your will, to be. . ."

We all knew what she was saying, but no one wanted to say it out loud. It was too ugly a possibility.

Leo walked back slowly with his hand on the ceiling of the car to steady himself. "We'll get her back safely, April. Those men, everyone included in this _will_ be put away."

She nodded, but she was still worried, still crying.

Leo looked at me and I glared back, cheek still smarting from where he hit me.

I understood why, I really did, but I wasn't any less pissed about it. I had freaked out. I wanted to run out there and break those two men in half when they were running after Emily. But I couldn't; it would've jeopardized the whole thing.

I understood but I still wasn't happy about the whole thing.

The trip was quiet with the occasional muttering from Donnie about the change of direction or a murmur from Mikey still attempting to comfort April.

Finally Donnie stopped the car. He sighed. "I guess we're here."

And apparently we were. The man, Freddie, slung Emily over his shoulder so that we had a nice view of his ass pocket, and there was just the sound of footsteps. Then panting. Then the sound of a door.

 _"Antony!" A shrill whistle. "Antony, Jerry and Tim found another one. I think you'll like her." He set Emily down and waited._

 _Another man, handsome with long curly hair and a strong jaw, came over. He smiled. "She looks good."_

April practically _growled_ when she saw him. "It _is_ him! Fucking bastard!" Her tears were gone now. There was only a determined, hard gleam in her eye.

 _Good. 'Cause we're gonna fucking hurt him._

*Emily's POV*

I woke up on something soft and for a moment I had the thought of lying on the old, cushy couch in my Uncle's living room. I opened my eyes and immediately the sense of nausea hit me.

Someone with way too many rings handed me a trash can and I took it gratefully, emptying the contents of my stomach only a few seconds later. It felt like it took hours, but I finally sat back and gasped, taking in deep gulps of air.

Donnie's voice was back in my ear. _"Emily, don't worry. They didn't do anything to you."_

I didn't nod, didn't react to my friend's voice. I just looked up at the man who had handed me the trash can.

He was handsome, with tan skin, blond hair, and obvious blue contacts. He dressed like a typical scumbag villain would in a video game; white suit, light pink undershirt, and sandals.

I crawled away from him. I had to act the frightened mouse. "Who are you?"

The man grinned like a shark, something that made me shiver in disgust. "I am Antony, my dear," he stated with a slight accent. "Are you feeling better?"

"No, not really." I sat up on the couch; an expensive-looking suede couch that was a light cream color. "What happened? Did you save me from those men?" I knew that he hadn't, but why not act like a scared, hopeful little girl?

The grin seemed to only get wider. I had to admit, he had perfect teeth. "I'm afraid not; those men who abducted you work for me." He took my stunned look in stride. "Now, I know that might be a little terrifying, but I want to be honest with you. I take pride in what I do."

I couldn't stop myself from gaping. "Y-You take pride in kidnapping people?"

"I'm a business-man, my dear." He stood and walked over to a little cabinet and pulled out a crystal glass and what appeared to be a stout bottle of rum. "You see, I am in the business of supplying those, with the particular taste of the flesh, with what they desire. Most of my customers love young, innocent girls." He flashed a nasty smile my way. "Tell me, are you a virgin?"

I didn't answer him, but I felt my face get red and hot. I knew that I was. I'd never had a boyfriend before, never even kissed a boy.

The man laughed a gleeful, awful laugh. "Ah, no need to glare. It's just a question." He took a sip of his drink, swirled it around, and held it out to me. "Care for a taste?"

There was venom in my voice. "Why, so I can be drugged again?"

This only made the man laugh more. "I love when they bring me one with fire. It makes it so much more fun." Another drink, another smile. "Why don't you go clean up for me? You're quite pretty with the makeup on, but I want to know how you look naturally." He pointed to the other end of the room toward a door.

What was the use in me arguing? I gave the man one last glare and went to the door, not knowing what to expect.

It was a bathroom, large and spacious, with a sink, toilet, and a shower and tub. It was nice; marble counter, tiled floors. There just wasn't a window.

Too bad.

I went to the sink and started slowly washing the makeup off my face, willing my friends to say _something_ to help my nerves.

They did not disappoint.

 _"Look around the room again, as if you're just admiring the bathroom. I'm gonna do a scan."_

I did as Donnie requested, acting as though I was amazed by how luxurious the bathroom was. It wasn't that hard to pull off. The damn thing even had fluffy white towels.

 _"Okay, the room's clear. I know you can't talk, but that's alright."_

I shrugged into the mirror, looking at my reflection and signed quickly, _"It's okay, I can do this."_

Not surprisingly, Donnie knew sign language. _"That's useful. Take your time cleaning your makeup off if you need to. The camera's waterproof."_ There was the sound of tapping. _"You are in the right place, if you were wondering. The man who was speaking with you a moment ago_ was _Antony Gutierrez."_

I could hear April's loud, angry muttering in the background. _"That bastard. I'm gonna kick his ass! He better not touch her, I'll kill him!"_

I smiled in the mirror, shaking my head, and started cleaning off the eyeshadow. It didn't want to come off very easily.

Donnie continued on. _"I know it'll be dangerous, but we're gonna wait for a rescue. If Antony has other girls there, it'll be best for us to know where. We don't want for them to possibly get hurt."_

I signed with one hand, _"Understood,"_ while I continued rubbing off the eyeshadow.

 _"Are you alright?"_

 _"Are you scared?"_

Leonardo and then Michelangelo's voice.

I smiled and looked back up at the mirror. _"I am scared, but I'll be okay."_ I'd have to be; I didn't want to die.

 _"You better be okay,"_ I could hear Raph growl darkly. _"You told Sensei you'd come home."_

I don't know why that made me smile. _Home._

There was an impatient knock at the door and I tried to make it look like I'd been crying.

 _"Don't worry, you'll be okay. Remember, we're right outside. We WILL come get you soon."_

I nodded, eyes red and face grim. I felt tears brim in my eyes and I opened the door.

Antony didn't appear to care that I'd been crying. He smiled appreciatively, apparently liking the way I looked without makeup, but then a slight scowl marred his features. He grabbed hold of my chin and tilted my face to the side. "You have a bruise," he stated matter-of-factly, voice dripping with disgust.

It sparked something in my memory, something that made me cry and flinch away.

 _A woman that looks like me, tall and with long hair. She's frowning and my cheek is smarting, as though she just slapped me. "Why did you tell them!? No one knew!"_

 _What could I say? I didn't want to feel like a piece of shit for being born how I was. "They didn't know I had a hearing aid, so they asked what the thing in my ear was."_

 _Another slap and a sharp shriek of anger. "You're deformed! I didn't want anyone to know!"_

When I opened my eyes again, Antony was looking at me with wide eyes.

"Did I hurt you?"

I just nodded, going along with it. "It's still tender. Someone tried to mug me yesterday."

This only seemed to amuse the man. "And you get kidnapped today. You have a fun life."

 _You have no idea._

Antony put his hand on my shoulder and led me out of the room and down a hallway toward a couple of men with guns. He ruffled my short hair as though I was a child. "My friends here are going to take you off my hands for now; I have work to do. They'll show you to the others, but I'll be back soon." He was telling me in a tone like he thought I should be grateful.

I glared, wishing that alone would be enough to kill him. Of course it wasn't. "Don't hurry."

He laughed and turned away, waving. "Be nice to her, boys. She's got a bit of fire in her."

The men couldn't appear to have cared less. One of them grabbed me in a tight, though not painful, grip and took me past a gate, which the other promptly locked behind him.

 _"It's like she's in jail."_

That was an uncomforting thought.

The men led me down more hallways, taking turns, and then down a couple flights of stairs before we came to what looked like a scanner. Beyond that was another door and a window where I could see what appeared to be a giant cage. There were multiple shapes huddled inside.

The man holding my arm shoved me forward.

I crossed my arms and raised a brow. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

The man apparently operating the scanner sighed. "Every time," he muttered. "Look, do you have anything on you that might set off the alarm?"

I patted my pocket, feigning shock. "I dropped my phone."

"You don't need it anyway. Anything else?"

 _"Don't worry,"_ Donnie said quickly. _"The camera and the listening device will go unnoticed."_

But what about my hearing aid itself? I narrowed my eyes, reaching up toward my ear. "I have a hearing aid. Can I keep that?"

The man shrugged. "We'll see. Go on through."

I did, cringing and waiting for the alarm. It didn't go off.

The man rolled his eyes. "Alright, stand against the wall."

Oh _God_. "Isn't there a woman who can do this?" Why was I even asking? There most likely was _not_.

He shook his head. "You know a woman who would approve of this kind of shit?" He jerked his chin toward the wall, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Stand. Now."

I glared but did as he said, standing face toward the wall.

A pair of hands made me crane over so that I was standing at an angle with my head down and my hands were on the wall. The search began at my legs and worked its way slowly up.

I bit my lip, cringing against the touch that lingered against my butt and then around my breasts. No one had ever touched me in such a way and it made me sick to my stomach.

The man's hot breath went across my neck. "You know, maybe you can't keep your hearing aid. You want to earn the right to keep it?"

My eyes went wide and I was tempted to head-butt the bastard.

"Kyle," one of the men with the guns said loudly. "The boss doesn't like us to touch his property."

Kyle scoffed and turned me around. "He won't know if you don't fucking tell him, Alek." He tilted my chin up, a revolting smile on his face. "How about it? Ever been with anyone, sweetheart?"

Anger was rolling through me in waves. I spit in his face, knowing that it was likely to get me in trouble. "No, and I don't plan to, you sick motherfucker!"

I was right; I did get in trouble. Kyle backhanded me hard enough to throw me off balance.

I swayed, both pained and dizzy, and then felt his hand in my hair, gripping it so hard that tears came to my eyes.

"Antony's gonna have fun breaking you, you little bitch," he snarled vehemently before one of the guards, Alek, I guessed, pulled him off of me.

"You know better, you idiot!"

"She spit in my face!"

"Yeah, and what did you think would happen!?"

I could hear arguing in my ear once more, heated voices trying to discuss what to do.

 _"We can't go in there yet! They have guns! You want her to get shot!?"_

 _"Just find a way to turn off the lights! He HIT her!"_

 _"Calm down! Going in there half-cocked is going to get someone hurt!"_

I couldn't calm them down, couldn't tell them I was okay.

The other guard just pulled me along and through the next door, into the room with the cage.

It was like it was made to look like a rendition of some Greek harem. There were pillars at the corners of the room and a throne that faced the cage full of trapped girls.

The guard shoved me inside the cage and locked the door, uncaring of what had transpired a moment before.

I turned shakily and faced the five girls who were now my fellow prisoners.

Two were in the back, appearing to be lost to the world, while another was sitting with her back to the bars, crying and rocking herself back and forth, one arm hung limply at her side.

The other two looked at me with mixtures of sympathy and fury.

Good. They still had their fire.

The first to greet me appeared to be of African descent, with creamy chocolate skin and light green eyes. Her hair hung in ringlets about her head, bobbing as she stood and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you. My name's Harlow; my friends call me Harli."

I nodded, trying to smile despite the pain still swimming around my head, and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Harlow," I managed quietly. "My name's Emily."

She nodded, light green eyes drifting to my bruised jaw. "Got in trouble already?"

I laughed and leaned against the bars. "I spit in someone's face."

The other girl, blonde with soft, light brown eyes, bust out laughing. "Good! Those dicks deserve a lot fucking worse." She grinned at me and held out her hand, dark countenance gone. "I'm Tara."

I shook her hand, already thinking back to the first night I almost got abducted. Those men had mentioned a Tara. I looked at her, saw the fire in her eyes, and I understood. _She looks like she can kick someone's ass._

And she did. She was taller than me, most likely 6 feet tall at the _least_ , with a pretty face and long, wavy blond hair, but she looked like an athlete; strong and tough.

I honestly wished I looked more like her and less like an aesthetically pretty noodle. Still, I smiled at her and rubbed at the sore spot on my head. "Are you guys okay? I expected them to have kidnapped a lot more girls."

That sobered the two.

"There were more," Harli said softly. "Antony's a sicko. He keeps us separated in two groups; those who have fight in them, and those that don't."

Tara nodded, eyes hard once more. "There were at least ten girls that he kept in another room. He doesn't hurt anyone at first; he treats them nice while he pumps them full of drugs, getting them addicted. Once they are he starts training and selling them."

I felt like there was a hollow pit in my stomach. _Oh my God._ Panic flared inside my chest and I wanted to sink to the ground. _Oh my_ God _._

Harli saw the look in my eyes and bit her lip. "We don't mean to scare you, Emily. But we've been here for a couple of weeks. Angie and Lily are already pumped full of drugs, and they won't give them anymore until they do what they want." She curled her lip in disgust. "Tara and I haven't let them touch either of them."

I narrowed my eyes. "They won't force their way past you?" They had _guns_ after all.

Tara shook her head. "No. I told you, Antony keeps the fiery ones separate. He wants us to break and willingly do what he wants. He finds it entertaining."

I slid my gaze over to the girl that was sitting on the floor, still crying and rocking back and forth. "What about her," I asked softly.

My two new companions looked at her, sorrow in their eyes. "That's Margaret."

"That dickhead Roscoe dislocated her shoulder for protecting Angie."

Someone else was hurting. The pain of another allowed me to set aside my self-pity, my panic. I knelt down next to the sobbing girl and spoke her name gently. "Margaret. _Margaret._ "

She started shaking her head, mumbling nonsensical things to herself.

I touched the elbow of her working arm lightly, feeling guilt when she flinched. "Margaret, my name's Emily. If you'll allow me, I can reset your shoulder. It'll hurt, but it'll start to heal."

She didn't answer me, but she did nod as she kept rocking back and forth.

I bit my lip and stood, looking around the room outside the cage.

Donnie's voice sounded in my ear a moment later. _"There are six cameras that I can see trained on the cage, but there should be a blind spot near the back left corner where those other girls are."_

Thank God for the genius that was Donatello.

I didn't show that I'd heard anything. I stood and turned to Tara and Harli. "Help me set her down on the bed back there, please. It'll be easier if she's comfortable."

The girls nodded and did as I asked, following my request without question. Like they trusted me.

I hoped that I was worthy of it.

We carefully moved Angie and Lily aside. They didn't seem to care much as it was; they just slumped against one another and went back to sleep, uncaring of what was going on. Margaret, whimpering in pain, settled down onto the bed in the back left of the cage.

Harlow and Tara stood on either side of me, making a shield to block the cameras without even knowing it.

I looked down and signed quickly, _"How do I reset her arm?"_

If my companions thought this odd, they said nothing about it.

 _"She'll need something to bite down on first. Leather or wood is preferable, but if not maybe a thick piece of cloth rolled up."_

I wasted no time in tearing off a piece of the sheets and rolling it up burrito-style. Hopefully that would do.

Margaret let me place the cloth in her mouth and did as I said when I told her that she needed to bite down on it.

 _"Now have the other girls hold her still; she's gonna thrash and that's just going to hurt her more."_

I sighed. "Margaret, you're gonna have to hold still. And I'm really sorry for this, but Tara and Harli are gonna need to hold you down, otherwise you might hurt yourself worse."

More rocking, more nodding. She just wanted her pain to stop.

Harli and Tara moved to Margaret's side, one on her left and the other behind her.

I knelt down on her right, still listening to Donnie's instructions.

 _"Take hold of her arm and her shoulder, gently. You're going to move it back and then up with everything you've got."_

"I'm sorry, Margaret," I whispered a second before doing as my friend said.

She cried out, tears streaming down her face, jerking in Tara and Harlow's grip. But it was done. Her right arm no longer hung down by her side limply.

We let her go, allowing her to cry freely.

"It's going to hurt for a while still," I told her softly. "But the pain will fade and your arm will start to get better."

She nodded, hugging herself now. "Thank you," she sobbed quietly. "Thank you."

We sat quietly in the cage after that. The other girls waited to fight, waited for their doom.

I was waiting to be rescued. I hated it, the waiting and knowing that I wasn't strong enough to help these girls myself. I guess my getting kidnapped helped to find this place, but still . . .

We sat in silence for about thirty minutes before all hell broke loose.


	5. Chapter 5

-Here is another edit, on 12/23/2015, Wednesday. I have to work graveyards tonight, but I wanted to ask the two of you, **TheLadyOfSouls** and **Wakizashi Warrior** , if you'd like me to edit the story. I know both of you liked it, but I am editing it at the moment. I have not deleted the original chapters, but if you'd like, please tell me if you want more explanation, such as with Emily's background, maybe the story in general, if you'd like it to be a slow build to where her and Raphael get close. I am currently working on a story where Raphael and Emily are in their early 20's, like 21, 22, and the plot is different. It will be a separate story. Just tell me what you think, if you want this story changed a bit or completely, and I will do so accordingly. Have a good day, and thank you for reading.- SpiffyPixie1

-So, editing here. Thank you, **TheLadyOfSouls** for your reviews. I do appreciate them and I'm glad you liked chapter. Thank you, **No Name (Guest)** , for your review. It is the first time I've gotten a flame, which is alright. I do understand. I've been working on this story for a while, years, and I kept changing it and changing it. It might've been better as it was before, or maybe I need to focus on changing the plot entirely. I would like to address that I do not like to be called 'sweetheart'. I'm 22 years old and no one has called me that, even when I was younger. I do thank you for your input, though, and for now I will suspend the story to edit it. Thank you for those that have read this far. I will be back, and so soon will Emily.- SpiffyPixie1

-I'm cruel. Also, I have no clue how to really reset a shoulder. I looked up instructions, but most of them were videos, and I didn't want to disturb my boyfriend while he was playing a game, so I really just perused the instructions briefly. This will be done soon. Also, I like Harlow and Tara. Great characters, yeah? I'm keeping them in the story, even if they won't be in some of the next few chapters until later. Anyway, thank you for reading this far, and please enjoy this chapter. Have a great day.- SpiffyPixie1

Chapter 5

The sound of footsteps broke my thoughts, distracting me from the brothers' voices in my ear as they debated about what to do. I turned, somehow already knowing who was there.

And I was right. Antony stood outside the cage, flanked by three guards who all carried guns. He was smiling quite haughtily. "So, girls, what happened a half hour ago that you were all crowded at the back over there?"

I glared at him, not wanting to seem afraid. "I helped to reset Margaret's shoulder. She was in pain."

The man nodded, but the weird smile remained. "How nice of you, dear girl. You know, you never told me your name. What is it?"

I said nothing, just held my glare.

Antony laughed and clapped lightly. "My, my, my. How rude you are. You are a guest in my home. Will you not tell me your name?"

"Will you not admit that you're a terrible man and that your mother and Satan would both probably be ashamed to have born you?"

The smile fell and I heard Harlow suck in a sharp breath.

"Rude little witch," Antony mumbled, appearing annoyed for the first time. He nodded at one of the guards. "Go get Lily. She hasn't had anything for five days; she has to be dying for it right now."

The guard moved toward the cage and I stood, clenching my weak little fists.

"You touch any of them and I swear I will bite off whatever I can reach."

The man smiled at me, as though uncaring. "Sure, love. Now move out of my way. You're not due for an injection at least until tomorrow."

I didn't move. I just waited.

 _"Emily,"_ I heard Leo whisper furiously in my ear. _"Don't do anything stupid!"_

I could've laughed; I was going to do something stupid anyway.

The man unlocked the door of the cage and stepped through, the easy smile still on his lips. He stepped toward me, unconcerned.

 _One._

 _"Emily, don't you dare."_

 _Two._

The man was almost right in front of me. I tensed my body.

 _"Donnie, cut the lights! Do something!"_

 _"What're you doing, you damn idiot!?"_

 _Three._

I struck out with my leg, knowing that the guard would most likely try to catch it. When he did I swung at his face with all the strength I had, hitting him in the eye.

He cried out, briefly, and I got behind him, wrapping my arm around his neck and locking the hold tightly. He gasped for breath for a moment as my forearm pressed on his windpipe.

Tara ran at us, nothing short of rage on her face. "No!"

Something hard hit the back of my head and I fell to the ground. When I looked up again, there was a gun leveled at Tara and the guard I tried to choke was standing, coughing.

"Back up, now. This is over." Antony sounded bored. "Lily, come here."

I could see the little waif of a teen stand shakily, eyes glazed over. My heart was beating painfully. "No, don't you dare." I stood and faced the guards, wincing at the pain I felt. "You can take me instead, but you won't touch her."

 _"Let me go! She's gonna get herself killed!"_

 _"Wait, just WAIT!"_

I couldn't wait, though. I wasn't about to stand aside and let someone else get hurt.

Antony thought about it and then nodded. He almost seemed disappointed. "It didn't take much to break you, did it?"

I stepped forward to follow the guards out of the cage when someone grabbed my arm. I looked back, seeing the concerned face of Harlow.

"Don't. I'll go. You don't need to do this."

"Are you fucking crazy," Tara shouted. "Neither of you are going with him. _I_ will."

"You will _not_." It wasn't a tone I used very often; it hard, harsh, and it demanded to be obeyed without question. It reminded me of my mother. "Sit down."

Tara met my glare with one of her own. Her eyes pleaded me not to do this.

I turned and left the cage, relieved when they locked the door.

They weren't going to hurt the others.

There was furious cursing coming from Donnie's end as I walked toward Antony.

 _"We're getting ready to go get you. Try and stall him. Just don't get hurt."_

I could stall them, sure, but not getting hurt? Apparently I drew pain like shit drew flies. I stopped in front of Antony and waited with my arms crossed.

He gave me an appraising look. "So strong, but you give up on yourself so very easily." Antony stepped forward and put his hand on my cheek. "I have an idea on someone who'd want to buy you; demand has gone up in the past week." Then he tilted my chin up, a gesture that was romantic but made me cringe. "He'd break you so fast that you'd wish you were dead."

I smiled at him then, a sweet, innocent smile that confused the man. "You don't know me, sir," I said softly leaning in toward his face. "I've often wished that I was dead."

I wasn't stupid, but I was prone to do stupid things when someone other than me was in danger.

There was the familiar cursing and a familiar deep voice roaring and calling me an idiot when I brought my knee up to hit the man in his junk and then head-butted him hard enough to make my head spin.

It was stupid, but they told me to stall, and I was going to.

Antony's face was red with anger. He didn't slap or backhand me; he punched me in the gut with the hand that held his six rings, all metal and stone.

I doubled over and gasped, pain making my thoughts escape me.

The girls in the cage behind me screamed, fear fueling their voices as the guards told them to shut up.

He fisted my hair and dragged me up, rage blazing in his eyes. "Do you think you're better than me, you little slut!? Do you think you're gonna be a hero?!" The angry man let me go only for someone else to grab me and hold me in place. He took out a knife.

 _"No!"_

 _"Now, now!"_

 _"I'm working on it!"_

Antony didn't hesitate to slice up my shirt and bra. "I think I'll keep you for myself." His grin wasn't so nice now; it was hateful and terrifying. The tip of the knife pressed into my chest and through ever so slightly.

There was the sound of an angry, furious roar and then the lights cut out.

Everyone was disoriented for a moment even though there was moonlight streaming through the windows. I knew what to look for; tall, bulky shapes that slipped in nice and quietly.

Antony was a disgusting man, but he wasn't stupid. He grabbed me and held the knife at my throat even though he couldn't see anything else. "Don't come any closer! I'll kill her, I swear it!"

I could hear the grunts and thuds as bodies fell to the floor.

A familiar shape was coming toward us, and I imagined that there would be a sort of fiery anger in the green eyes just burning away. "Put. Her. Down."

Antony chuckled and pressed the knife closer into my skin; any further and it would start bleeding. "You can leave right now, whoever you are. She's _mine_."

Raph growled in the darkness and I could see the gleam of his sai in his hands. "We already know who you are, you sick freak. The police are on their way and you're not gonna be able to hide this time."

 _Come on, Raph, don't worry about me! Just kick his ass!_

But he wouldn't, not as long I was in danger.

The knife tightened once more, as though the man was getting ready to cut me open then and there, but then he spun me around, as though to look in my eyes. "What did you do!? How did you bring them here?!"

I grinned, though that would be lost on him without light. "Just a little trick up my sleeve."

Antony shoved me backward toward Raphael. In those few moments I saw the gleam of the knife as it fell and then he was reaching into his pocket.

I didn't hesitate; I didn't even think about it. I spun and shielded Raph with my body, hearing and feeling the gunshot hit my shoulder-blade only a moment later.

"No!"

The pain was blinding. I'd never felt anything like it before in my life. _Oh God, what was I thinking!?_ I hadn't been thinking.

I just didn't want Raph to get hurt.

The furious teen lowered me to the ground quickly and ran, his heavy footfalls thudding and then stopping. It sounded as though there was a brief scuffle.

The others were there now, one kneeling by my side and the other two following Raphael.

"Bro, stop!"

"Raph, let the police deal with him!"

"You're a sick fucking bastard! I hope you die! I hope you go to hell!"

Rage, such deep and likely blinding rage.

Donnie was by my side, apologizing as he picked me up because he knew that he'd be hurting me. He covered me with a sort of blanket, soft and warm.

The others had finally calmed Raph down. The three familiar figures walked over and one broke the lock.

I could the figures of Harli and Tara bust out of the door.

"What happened!?"

"Is Emily okay?!"

Leo's calm voice overpowered theirs. "She'll be fine. You two wait here for the police; they should be here in a few minutes. If any of these men wake up, I'd suggest that you shoot them."

That was apparently our cue to leave.

"Wait!" That was Tara, voice rife with worry. "Who are you? Where are you taking her?"

"It's okay," I said, voice breaking with pain. "They're taking me home. They're my family."

That apparently calmed the two girls.

"Alright," Harlow said quietly. "We'll watch after the others. Keep her safe."

"We will."

And then we were gone.

The next few minutes were a blur. When I came to we were driving back to the dojo. My head was in April's lap and she was running her fingers through my hair, sounding as though she was trying not to cry.

I tried to laugh, as though to ease the tension, but it hurt. I ended up coughing and it hurt even worse. "Was gonna try to say that I was fine, but I'm in a lot of pain."

"Getting shot will do that to you." That was too dark a humor for Mikey. He must've been worried.

"How bad is it?"

"We don't know yet," Leo murmured, watching me with his icy blue eyes. "But we'll get you checked out when we're back."

"Don't worry," Donnie called back as he drove. "You'll be alright."

I craned my head back to look for Raph.

He was huddled in the back, green eyes almost glowing with worry.

I held up my hand shakily, flashing a peace sign as I did so. And then everything went dark.

I dreamt of bright green eyes and a warm, crooked smile that made me feel weak at the knees. A scar above a pair of lips and the imagining of what it would feel like to kiss them.

I don't know how long I slept.

*Raph's POV*

I sat in Donnie's lab, watching the heart monitor beep steadily, and then I switched my gaze to watch Emily's chest rise and fall peacefully.

She'd been asleep for two days. She still hadn't woken up.

At least that asshole Antony and his crew had been exposed; that included all the dirty cops that had been involved.

I should've been happy about it. I was. I was happy that those sick bastards were behind bars. But . . .

Emily still hadn't woken up.

Donnie said it was a combination of stress, of pain, and of the drugs that had been reintroduced to her body too soon. He said she would wake up soon and that she'd be fine.

I watched her, still angry. _She jumped in front of a bullet for me._ Why did that make me so angry!? Probably because I was _bulletproof_.

"Are you still here, my son?"

I stood and bowed as Sensei entered the lab. "Yes, Sensei," I muttered.

My father looked tired, still worried. "You need to rest, Raphael. You've hardly left her side."

I could feel my face heat up but I avoided my father's gaze. "I'm fine, Sensei. Donnie said we needed to keep an eye on her vitals to make sure they stayed stable."

"So I can keep an eye on her while you rest," he stated firmly, seating himself on a chair nearby the bed.

I gritted my teeth. "Dad, I'm fine. I can stay."

"I know you can," Sensei said, meeting my glare with a firm gaze. "But I'm telling you that you need to rest. Go spend time with your brothers. Go listen to your rock music. Work out. But _rest_."

That was the tone of voice that left no room for argument. I bowed once, muttered a quick affirmation that I would indeed rest, and left the lab, refusing to look at the still-slumbering teen.

Leo was sitting in the kitchen eating when I went to the fridge.

I looked for a can of orange crush, scowling when I couldn't find one. _Mikey . . ._

"Still waiting for her to wake up so you can yell at her, Raph?"

If I ground my teeth anymore I'd lose them. I didn't turn around to look at my older brother; I knew I'd lose my temper. "She jumped in front of a bullet for me, Leo."

"Because she was trying to protect you."

"If you haven't noticed, we're pretty much bulletproof. She didn't need to do that!"

"Maybe she didn't remember."

I whirled around, holding a can of sprite in my fist. "She remembers everything else about us! Why not that!?"

"Because she was afraid, Raph!" He was standing now, hands flat on the table. "Afraid that you'd get hurt! You really want to lay into her for that!?" Leo laughed darkly. "You wanna run her off by scaring her so bad just because she was trying to protect you?!"

"She didn't need to protect me," I shouted. I could feel the can crinkling in my fist like it was Styrofoam. "She didn't need to do any of this! Why the hell would she, when she can't remember anything she needs to about her own life!? What if we hadn't gotten there in time?! What if that man had hurt her even worse!?" That piece of shit was about to carve into her with a _knife_!

"I'm aware what _could_ have happened, Raph." Leo's glare was hard and cold. "But the fact is that she is _fine_. She's alive and recovering. You need to let this go."

I growled deep in my throat and turned away, loosening the grip I had on the can of sprite. "I don't need to let nothing go." I left my brother in the kitchen and stomped to my room. I needed my music, needed to lose myself in something loud and screaming.

The first CD I popped in was Seether. It wasn't soothing, but it was just what I needed.

I lied back on my bed and popped open the soda can, drinking it but not really tasting it. _I don't care. I don't fucking care about any of this!_

But I did. And everyone knew it.

I was staring up at the ceiling, tossing and catching a stress-relief ball, which didn't work, when I heard it.

 _This is ignorance! Failure to evolve is failure to us all. When will you learn that this is where we fall?_

That was familiar.

I scrambled up to look at the number of the song before it ended. It was number 12 on my CD _In the Wake of Determination_. I searched through the mess of cases that covered the floor next to my stereo.

 _Come on, come on . . . There!_ I found the right case and pulled out the track listing. I heard the name of the song sung by Dan Marsala a second after I read the name. " _Is This My Fate," He Asked Them?_

Why did I care? My feet seemed to move of their own accord as I ran to Emily's room. Her laptop was shut, still sitting on the table where she'd left it. I opened it up, scowling at the tiny keys. They were perfect for her fingers; not my giant fucking sausages.

I was admittedly impatient as I waited for the computer to boot up, tapping my thighs and grumbling. Finally, though, _finally_ the startup screen appeared, asking for the password.

I typed in the name of the song quickly, going slow and making sure I typed the whole thing in correctly, and then I pressed Enter. I scowled.

"It's wrong!?" How the hell could it be wrong? I grit my teeth and tried again, excluding the quotation marks, the comma, and the question mark. "Damn it!" Still wrong.

That _had_ to be the password. There was no way that it wasn't. I tried to think about it, tried to put myself in Emily's shoes even though I hadn't known her for very long. She wasn't that complicated, right?

I snorted at the thought. "Sure she's not . . ." She was the most complicated chick I'd ever met, and I had met April months before. Of course, then again, there had been that girl who'd worked for Sacks and the Shredder. She was pretty screwed up in the head too.

I shook my head, glaring at the screen. _Of course all three of the girls I've met so far are all complicated._

That's when it hit me; it was a stupid idea, but what I've seen of Emily so far was that she was a smartass. She was nice as hell, but she was a huge smartass.

I typed in the password as _isthismyfateheaskedth3m_ and pressed Enter, half expecting it to not work.

The words, _Welcome, Emily_ scrolled across the screen before it changed to the laptop's home page.

The screensaver was . . .

"What the _fuck_ ," I muttered, eyes wide as I stared at a picture of Leo, Mikey, Donnie, and myself. How was this fucking possible? She knew about us somehow, sure, but why did she have a picture of us? _How_ could she have a picture of us like this, like we were posing for a movie?

I looked from one icon to the next, not having any idea what most of them were. One, though, stood out. It was in the middle of the screen over Donnie's little tech-belt. It read, _EMILY_ , as though it was important for her to look at it.

I double-clicked the icon immediately, wanting to know what the fuck was going on.

A video popped up and a man wearing a priest's outfit appeared.

He had short brown hair, light blue eyes, and a face similar to that of Emily.

"I'm glad you found your password, Emi," the man said, smiling with the same wry smile that Emily had. "I told you it needed to be something a little simpler, but you insisted on that song." He shook his head, as though he found humor in it. "Still, that you're looking at this now means that you're safe and with Splinter and his sons. I'm glad."

 _What the hell!? This guy knows about us too?!_

Apparently so. He stopped smiling and ran a hand through his hair. "Although it's always possible that you really did lose your memory and you don't remember who I even _am_." He looked right at the camera, blue eyes piercing. "I'm your uncle, Liam Daniels. Your name is Emily Anderson. I've raised you and taken care of you since you were an infant. I sent you through the portal by yourself because I needed you to find Splinter and the others. If you've remembered the password to your laptop, you should remember the code for your phone. If you don't, it's 333963."

The man, Liam, coughed then, blushing slightly. "I'm getting ahead of myself, though. I remember how it felt to lose my memory the first time I traveled across the portal; constant pain when I tried to remember anything, unimportant memories would pop up unnecessarily." He sighed and continued. "Emi, your mother and I traveled across time and space using a special device that's available to the wealthiest of people in Renate. We got our portal from our parents as a gift. We traveled to a random realm, being youthful and stupid as we were, and found ourselves on a world called 'Earth'. As I know now, it's similar or pretty much the same as the one that you've seen in movies; I know you're a fan of that multiverse theory. Anyway, when we got to Earth, I couldn't remember anything about my life except for your mother, Natalie. She was one of the rare people who were able to keep their memory. She was ecstatic about this world because it was _full_ of people who weren't 'perfect'."

He rubbed at his eyes and continued on tiredly. "I know this is a sore spot for you, even if you don't remember it. We traveled around New York City, me having no choice but to trust your mother and your mother just having the time of her life. That's when your mother met a man that she thought was perfect in every single way; handsome, rich, and smart. He and Natalie took to one another like wolves that found their mate." Liam actually shuddered. "I didn't like the man, but it wasn't my decision; it was your mother's. He started courting Natalie, in a way I guess, and at some point when I was out and about, I'm guessing they, uh . . ." He blushed once again and coughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "They engaged in coitus. You were conceived, and once the man found out, he sent us away. Natalie was devastated. We wandered the streets of New York, living and hiding in abandoned buildings because we had no money left. We were helpless until you were born, because we couldn't travel back home with your mother pregnant; it would've harmed you severely."

Liam cleared his throat and cracked his knuckles before he continued. "It was in September, six months into her pregnancy, that we found ourselves hiding in an abandoned apartment. I tried my best to take care of Natalie, but it wasn't enough. I had to steal food and clothes for her. That was when Splinter found us."

I was startled at hearing my father's name even though he'd mentioned it before. _Dad never said anything about this._

"He was what brought my memory back. I'd seen comics and cartoons about him before, and even though this was a different version of him, I knew who he was and he didn't scare me. I asked him for help and he was quick to give it. Splinter brought us back to his home in the sewer and introduced us to his sons." Liam chuckled at the memory. "Natalie, of course, had seen the same things I had, but she was unnerved. She warmed up to the boys soon, though; they were only a year old."

Did I remember this? Did I? I thought about it, searching my memory as the man continued to talk, and then _just_ when I had it, a voice interrupted me.

"Raphael."

I spun around, practically throwing the chair.

My dad was standing at the door with the best poker face I'd ever seen. "Pause that. Emily will need to see it. You and I need to talk with your brothers."

Part of me was apprehensive. A talk? That was never a good thing. Still, I followed my father as we went to get the others. I continued to search my memories, wondering if I'd even be able to remember something so far back. _A year old? Damn._

We found Mikey in the living room and Leo and Donnie in the lab watching over Emily.

She was still asleep.

Sensei gathered us in the dojo and started the story without much preamble. "When you were a year old . . ."

I sat and listened even though I'd already heard most of this before.

*Emily's POV*

I sat up and immediately regretted it when pain shot through my shoulder blade. _Oh, of course; I got shot._

At least Raph was safe, I hoped.

I was alone and everything was silent. My hearing aid sat on a little in-table beside my bed. I reached and put it in with my good arm, trying to not agitate my still-healing wound. _Nope, still nothing._

The others were probably busy. I didn't want to bother them. More like I didn't want to face them, but that's neither here nor there.

I turned off the heart monitor and removed myself from the bed, feeling sick and shaky. "How long was I asleep?" It felt like I hadn't moved in weeks. My limbs were jerky as I moved, stumbling to the door. I looked left and then right down the hallway. _Nobody here either._

Good. I just wanted to go to my room and change clothes. The ones I was wearing _currently_ felt grimy and disgusting.

Of course I could've gone to the kitchen to get food; I felt like I could've eaten an elephant with how badly my stomach was hurting. Still, I knew I wouldn't feel better until I had clean clothes.

I limped to my room and shut myself inside, sighing in relief. I couldn't wait to be in something _clean_.

That's when I noticed my laptop open on the desk, open and paused on a video of a familiar man.

I seated myself at the desk heavily and rewound the video to the beginning, somehow already mesmerized. I pressed play.

"I'm glad you found your password, Emi," the man said, smiling with a familiar wry smile. "I told you it needed to be something a little simpler, but you insisted on that song." He shook his head, as though he found humor in it. "Still, that you're looking at this now means that you're safe and with Splinter and his sons. I'm glad . . ."


End file.
